When Blondes Collide
by acosta perez jose ramiro
Summary: The gang is at Junior High School, and they have a new classmate. She is as vain and fashion crazy as Rhonda. She is as tricky and short tempered as Helga. She is not an OC. Crossover fic. Rating due some language and violence.
1. California Girl

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen; also, good evening to my kind assistant, Phoebe. (_Konichiwa, _Ramiro, and the same goes for all the people reading this work of fiction) Thanks, Pheebs. Can you please say the disclaimer?

(Saying; DISCLAIMER; the following story was written without financial intentions, and has no purposes besides entertainment. Ramiro doesn't claim the ownership of any character portrayed in the story, all of us copyrighted by Nickelodeon.)

Thanks again; okay, as Phoebe mentioned, all the characters are copyrighted by Nickelodeon, including some from other series. (In deed, as he just mentioned, this story is from the 'crossover' type, meaning we'll have guest stars from other animated series. To make our series fit with that one, we, the characters from _Hey, Arnold!, _will be portrayed as young teens on the 13-14 years old age range.) Maybe I should ask for your assistance when writing stories from other series, Phoebe; you're quite efficient. (_Arigato_, Ramiro, but I think Helga wouldn't take nicely if I stopped being her sidekick to become your full time assistant. She's my best friend, my boss… and someone who would go 'Old Betsy' on you.) Good point.

Also, I have to thank Hellerick Ferlibay, who reviewed my previous _Hey, Arnold!_ fic, for suggesting the main idea for this one.

Anyway, I think it's enough for an author note. Phoebe, please start the story. (Starting; I think the proper phrase in this particular situation is… On with the show!)

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**When Blondes Collide**

**A **_**'Hey, Arnold!'**_** story by Acosta Pérez José Ramiro**

**- California Girl.**

"Olga, wake up! You're late for school!"

"I'm already up, Bob! Criminey, maybe Dad should go to school instead of me; with some luck he may learn my name." The thirteen year old girl said the last part to herself as walking downstairs, hoping her mother had remembered to make breakfast… or at least, buying groceries so she could grab something for lunch.

Helga hadn't changed that much since her Elementary years; she was a lot taller, of course, and a little more attractive (even if conserving the unibrow she inherited from her dad), as she could tell from the looks she got at times from boys her age, but her attitude and personality were pretty much the same; she still was bossy, mean, and madly in love with a certain football headed boy she bullied and insulted on a regular basis; she also kept her tomboyish nature, but also her taste for pink, sweaters and shirts that color being her usual dressing choice, as well as wearing a pink lace to hold the pony tail that replaced her pig tails' hairdo since she turned 11; to Helga, wearing the most girlish color was her way to remind people that, despite her being the least feminine girl around, and being proud of it, she was still a female.

Helga entered the kitchen, finding her mother sleeping at the table. The teen sighed and started looking for something to eat; not too surprisingly, Miriam forgot to buy groceries, which meant Bob, who was currently at his room checking his Beeper King's outfit, would need to eat breakfast at work, and Helga would eat an apple right now and thank whatever powers in charge that she had enough money to buy lunch at the cafeteria. Ironically, the only one who would have breakfast that morning was the non-human inhabitant of the house, and just because Helga never forgot to buy his meal at Mister Green's place; the blonde took some raw meat out from the fridge, heated it in the microwave, just a little bit, and went to the house's rooftop, where she built, with her best friend's help, a good shelter for her pet.

"Here, Zilla, breakfast time." Helga said to her monitor lizard, that left his resting place to eat the guts and chicken necks his owner brought. "You're lucky, little monster; I'm just having an apple but, well, I take care of you a lot better Miriam does with me… pathetic, uh?" Helga chuckled a little bit while petting her lizard, who gave her a half-amused look before going back to his meal.

Helga never thought she would get fond on the animal, especially since she only bought it due one of her 'desperate measures' episodes to cover her deepest secret, but when Zilla, as she finally decided to call him, ate the annoying parrot that kept repeating her last love rant and almost revealed her secret crush, the then 9 years old girl got an immediate liking for the reptile. Sure, it wasn't exactly the prettiest pet, but it was kind of cool and Helga liked its attitude, not to mention that this particular species was a major rat predator and had a taste for pigeons as well, two major pros for Helga. Miriam, as usual, was pretty apathetic about the animal's presence, and the girl got Bob's permission to keep it by telling her father he could use it in posters and commercials for his business, reminding him that some TV salesmen used wild animals to promote their products; the man liked the idea and used the lizard at times, even giving Helga money for the animal's food and material for its shelter, where Zilla lived most of the year, except during Winter, when Helga improvised a space for him at her own room to protect the tropical animal from cold weather. The blonde even allowed Zilla to get out of the shelter and move freely around the house when knowing Bob would be out all day and therefore wouldn't be annoyed if finding the lizard resting at his couch.

Helga left her house a few minutes later, carrying her backpack, and headed to the bus stop, meeting with her best friend on the way.

"G'morning, Pheebs."

"_Konichiwa, _Helga." Phoebe greeted her friend as they walked to the bus stop. "Are you excited about the start of a new school year?"

"Not really, Phoebe; it's the same old thing every year; dumb classmates, boring lessons and annoying teachers." Helga groaned. "You must be the only person I know that gets excited with this."

"What can I say? The intellectual stimulation and social interaction are quite enjoyable and an important part of a healthy psychological and emotional development."

"Yeah, what nice; do me a favor and never change, Pheebs." Helga couldn't help but get a little smile at the shorter girl's comment.

"Not changing," The little Asian grinned back at her friend.

Certainly, Phoebe hadn't changed too much; she still wore glasses, kept a short hairdo, was the class' shortest girl, and, by far, the smartest student; blue was still her favorite color, evident by the sweater and long skirt she was wearing, but stopped using her mini-bun years ago, replacing it with occasional caps and hair clips; today she was using a white flower hair clip, one of her favorites. Despite her obvious position at the school's social scale, Phoebe, unlike most well-behaved, nerdy, or simply highly intelligent alumni, was never subject of bullying or insulting due three facts; her friendship with Helga, who was both her boss and personal bodyguard; her very image, that somehow made all her close friends to protect and take care of her (the whole 'protecting the smallest one' mentality); and, finally, her father being a Kendo teacher and Phoebe his best student; give the girl a simple stick, even a broom, and she would use it as efficiently as a Jedi with a light saber.

"You actually made a good point, Phoebe. At least at school I'm important; everyone knows better before messing with or disobeying me; otherwise my other best friend gets into action." Helga said as giving her left fist a half-amused look.

In reality, Helga usually didn't need to hit anyone aside from the occasional very annoying guy and the regular asthmatic stalker, but her temper and attitude were more than enough to scare people trying to defy her authority; add the fact she knew several effective wrestling moves and some guys from school saw her buying a punching bag a couple of years ago (something she still kept at her room for exercising and relieving some anger) and the result was that almost everyone at school, even from higher grades, didn't dare going against the blonde.

Yes, Helga was almost a stranger at her own house, but, at school, she was one of the main authority figures.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"We are almost there, Princess."

"How exciting," The blond teen sighed and rolled her eyes; normally, she wouldn't use sarcasm with her father, but this was a special case. "Hope it's not a dumpster like everything else in this town."

The girl took out her hand mirror to give herself a fast look; she was pretty, knew it and took full advantage of this whenever possible, but this time felt so angry and moody the simple pleasure of admiring herself did little to improve her disposition.

"Sweetie," the girl turned at her dad, who now had a more serious and almost apologetic face, "I know this is hard for you, but… the other option was leaving you with your cousins for several months, and your mother and I wouldn't stand not having you around that long."

"I know, Dad, it's just that… I worked very hard at my old school to get a reputation and now have to start from zero. Not to mention I know nobody here."

"This is just a temporary solution, until getting you a place at a private school. Besides, one of your mother's investors said this place is good; his daughter studies here and enjoys it."

"Probably because she has friends here," the blonde sighed. "Never thought I would say this, but… I miss them; all of them."

"We'll return home for your next semester, promise; once we finish our business here, we'll go back to California." The middle-aged man rubbed his eyes under his glasses, "I miss my brother and your grandpa as well."

The blonde said nothing until her dad parked in front of the school; it was the basic square building, with two smaller ones at the sides (the hall and the gym, she guessed), nothing like the more stylish one she used to attend. Then again, Hillwood's weather was surely colder than California's, so this kind of building was probably the best option.

"Now, Princess, remember; even if this is a new school, teens are the same everywhere. Just act like usual and you'll fit perfectly." The blonde turned at her dad's smiling face, getting a little grin as well.

"Okay, but don't be surprised if I leave someone teeth-less if messing with me."

"I thought you would say something like that." The man chuckled a little bit before giving the girl an affective kiss on her forehead. "Stay out of problems, okay?"

The girl nodded and walked down the car; her hair was shoulder-length, and was wearing several bracelets, blue jeans, red sandals and earrings, and an orange top. After walking a few steps, a red haired freckled boy, with a large nose, and considerably shorter than her, got distracted by the blonde's looks, forgetting about the flag pole in front of him.

**WHACK!**

"I'm okay…" the boy groaned as rubbing his forehead, the blonde chuckling at the scene.

"_That brings back some memories." _The girl sighed and got a wide grin. _"Dad is right; this is just another school, and I can handle these losers. If I'm getting stuck in this dumpster, at least I'll be the Dumpster Queen."_

The girl's thoughts got cut when colliding with another blonde, a little taller than herself, who was just walking down the bus.

"Hey, watch out, girl! All that makeup is messing with your sight?" Helga snapped at the newcomer, who didn't feel intimidated by her and replied with a similar tone.

"No; and you should watch out as well, Flamingo Girl!"

"Flamingo… oh, you're so…"

"Helga, please, don't you start; you don't want getting detention before even starting the first day, right?" Phoebe restrained her friend, who dropped her fist yet kept glaring at the other blonde.

"Better make a shrine for my friend, girl, because she just saved your sorry butt from a destiny worse than death." Helga poked the other blonde's chest, the girls glaring at each other.

"What? Using clothing that looks like Barney The Dinosaur's vomit?"

"Keep talking like that and you'll not survive until lunch time." Helga gave the girl a last glare and walked away with Phoebe (who gave the newcomer an apologetic face) next to her, the Pataki girl shoving aside the people who had gathered to see the little argument; nobody on his/her right mind argued Helga.

"You're new around here, right?" The blonde turned to see an Afro-American boy, about one head taller than her, with a short Afro hair-do, a red basketball shirt and blue jeans (_Typical jock, _the girl thought), with a slightly shorter blond boy next to him; this one wore a blue sweater, had medium-sized, messy hair, and, what amazed the blonde the most, a football shaped head.

"_If this guy wasn't born via cesarean, his mother deserves a medal!" _The blonde thought before replying"Yes, why do you say it? Not used to girls this pretty around here?"

"No; not used to anyone messing with Helga Pataki. Everyone in this school knows better to insult her, unless you aren't fond on your arms." The Afro-American smirked while the blond boy rolled his eyes.

"Gerald, don't start with that. Helga isn't that bad."

"She dissimulates it quite well." Gerald replied smugly while the blond boy offered his hand to the girl.

"Sorry about that; Helga can be very short-tempered at times. Welcome to our school; my friend here is Gerald, and I'm Arnold."

The girl shrugged and shook Arnold's hand; they didn't seem like the super-popular type but didn't appear to be on the losers' category, so were fine enough in the girl's book.

"Angelica Pickles; don't make fun of the surname and I'll not say a thing about the head."


	2. The Newcomer

**- The Newcomer.**

"Thanks for guiding me, guys. I would probably get lost otherwise." Angelica said to both Arnold and Gerald, the blond boy carrying her backpack while the Afro-American showed the girl her new locker.

"No problem, Angie. If needing anything, just whistle." Gerald said smoothly, making Arnold to roll his eyes; his best friend couldn't help but flirt with practically any moderately good-looking girl he met, except for the one he really liked (someone that somehow always made him lose his cool) and her best friend, a girl he had never been exactly fond on, therefore couldn't resist playing Casanova on Angelica.

"So, Angelica, where are you from?" Arnold asked the girl while handling the backpack to her so Angelica could put her stuff inside the locker.

"California; I'm not from a major city like Los Angeles or San Francisco, but a modest-sized one, Everwood; it's on the north part of the state and surrounded by forests and mountains, so at times we have some snow during winter." Angelica shrugged. "It's not exactly glamorous, but the place isn't that bad."

"And what your parents do for a living?" Gerald asked.

"Mom used to be vice president of a major company until, as it happens at times, got replaced; however, she's not exactly the domestic type, and used all her savings and contacts to start her own company. My dad even quit his job to assist her, and, in the process, got several contacts from his own company with him."

"And what is this company about? Real estate, technology…"

"A little of everything," Angelica cut Arnold. "Mom's old company has interests in entertainment, toys, food, amusement parks… you name it, my mother was involved; so, her own business follows the same line. Right now, she and Dad are going to start a new branch here in Hillwood, and, since they have to supervise the workers building the offices, and getting new investors and so, and it will take a few months, we had to move here for the time being. We're living at a rented house, and most surely move back to California once most of the job is done and my mother gets someone to handle business here."

"One suggestion; don't tell everyone your parents are that loaded. Most people around here are fine, but many would fake friendship to get advantage on you." Arnold suggested, Angelica chuckling and shaking her head.

"You're one of those."

"What do you mean?" Arnold arched an eyebrow.

"A do-gooder; I've met some people like you… can spoil everyone's fun, but it's okay to have at least one around." Angelica shrugged as closing her locker. "And don't worry; I can take care of myself. Now, if you guys show me the way to my classroom…"

Arnold and Gerald looked at Angelica's schedule, realizing they had most classes together, so, at least for now, she would be around them until getting to know the place a little better. Unknown to the trio, Helga was looking at them from the nearby corner, frowning deeply.

"Can you believe it, Phoebe? Those fools are falling for that stupid girl's antics! Why is she acting so nicely when obviously she is rude, nasty and disgusting? Answer: it's a silly act she pulls to trick hormone-headed fools, and they're falling!" Helga practically snapped. Phoebe, next to her, sighed while putting some books inside her locker.

"Helga, she's new around here, and since, as usual, Arnold is being chivalrous and offering a helping hand, the girl is accepting it." Phoebe said as taking a look at the scene, and showed a rare slight frown. "However, I admit Gerald is unusually attentive with her, and I suspect it has nothing to do with him supporting Arnold's behavior."

"I tell you, Pheebs; that girl is bad news." Helga groaned. She then noticed the trio walking away, and, since she and Phoebe had the same class, they followed them after a few seconds.

The moment Angelica entered the classroom, several boys whistled at her, something the blonde liked and the already present girls resented. A long-nosed boy, with black thin hair, barely Arnold's size, approached her, showing what, Angelica guessed, was a flirty look.

"Hello, guys. Who is your friend?"

"Sid, she's Angelica, and just arrived to the city." Arnold made the proper introduction.

"Glad to meet you, babe; if you want, I can show you around." Sid approached Angelica, who simply smirked at him and poked his nose.

"Sure, right after getting you some new blankets."

"Blankets?" Sid gave her a puzzled look.

"Yes; you might know them as 'handkerchiefs'," Angelica commented casually, Sid wide opening his eyes and several students around him snickering at the comment. A pretty tall, skinny guy, with a nose even bigger than Sid's, approached the short boy, chuckling slightly; despite his goofy face, Angelica guessed he wasn't as obnoxious as Sid.

"She got you, friend!" The boy then leaned a little bit and offered his hand to Angelica. "Glad to meet you; I'm Stinky."

"No, not that much; but I can recommend you a deodorant."

"Never heard that one before; no, that's my name; Stinky Peterson. All my family's boys are named that way." Stinky said as shaking Angelica's hand.

"_Stinky? Who is his dad; Walt Disney?"_ Angelica thought yet said other thing. "Well, since you guys are that nice, can you tell me who's in charge of this group? You know, the popular crew; that's more my style."

"The popular ones? Well, those would be Lorenzo," Stinky pointed at a Latino looking guy, wearing seemingly expensive yet not so flashy clothing, chatting with two boys in shades; one was as long-nosed as Sid and had thin hair while the other was a little tanned and his shades were bigger and more stylish, "and Iggy and Peapod; other popular ones are Miss Lila, who hadn't arrived yet, and of course…"

"Good morning, lucky people!" In a perfect cue, a sing-song, kind of snobbish-toned voice got heard. "I know you guys missed me, but I'm back and ready to give this school a quite needed coolness."

Angelica gave a good look at the girl entering the classroom; she was a moderately attractive (in Angelica's opinion) brunette, just slightly shorter than the rude in pink, wearing a red top, black jeans, silver necklace and earrings, and stylish boots.

"Rhonda, we saw you the whole vacations, except for those two weeks you left with your parents." Gerald pointed.

"Well, Gerald, in this case, two weeks without my presence is enough for this town to drop from 'city' to 'village'." Rhonda shrugged before finally acknowledging Angelica's presence. "And you are…"

"Your replacement," Angelica folded her arms before giving Rhonda a sly grin. "Just kidding; by the way, nice boots… Caprini, right?"

"Of course; you're the first person that recognizes it without me telling. Good to have someone with a little class around here." Rhonda replied in her usual snobbish tone.

"Funny; I was about to say the same." Angelica and Rhonda glanced at each other; the boys thought it was odd, but every girl around knew they were judging everything about the other; posture, clothing, attitude, accessories… after a few moments, Rhonda got a little grin.

"Not bad; you're approved. Come on, sit next to me." Rhonda said to the blonde while walking to her seat, "Talk to you later, boys."

Angelica waved at the boys before following Rhonda, her sly grin broadening; at her old school, she had to work a lot to be accepted at the popular crew, and here, before the first class even started, she already was in talking terms with someone who, obviously, was highly ranked socially speaking.

"She's pretty… but I don't like what she said about my nose." Sid frowned.

"And Nadine may dislike knowing about what you said to her." Gerald smirked at his friend, who gulped and paled visibly.

"You're not telling her, right?"

"Tell me what, Sid?" The boy wide-opened his eyes and covered his mouth to cover a yelp when hearing a tanned girl with long blond-raided hair talking to him, while Arnold, Gerald and Stinky got knowing grins.

"Uh, hi, Nadine, well, you see, I say, you say, he says me…" Sid nervously ranted while discretely giving Arnold a look that screamed _'Save me, man!' _in every language known to men and monkeys.

"Sid wants to introduce you to the new girl, Nadine, but she's now talking with Rhonda, so guess she'll do that." Arnold glanced at the back of the room, where Rhonda was introducing Angelica to the popular boys.

"Oh, I see. Well, I'll better go say 'hi'; see you guys later." Nadine smiled at the boys, who nodded and smiled back, Sid immediately sighing in relief and turning at Arnold.

"Arnold, you're a saint!"

"Don't exaggerate, Sid; just be nicer with Nadine and stop doing that flirting thing; if you hurt or insult her, you can forget about me covering your back." Arnold pointed; even if Sid was his friend, Nadine was as well, and the blond boy wouldn't like her being sad or hurt on any way.

"Move over, buck-o! You're standing on my way." Helga entered the room and said 'good morning' her usual way, shoving Arnold aside.

"Yes, glad to see you too, Helga." Arnold rolled his eyes and frowned slightly; it was due moments like this that sometimes it was hard for him to defend the girl when other students bad-mouthed her. Arnold's frown disappeared when Phoebe entered, the petite Asian's gentle and nice greeting making the boys, especially Gerald, to forget about Helga's mood, at least by the time being.

Helga sat her usual place, right behind Arnold, turning to look at the popular ones, groaning when realizing Angelica was chatting with them.

"Great; Rhondaloid got herself a new Barbie." Helga was tempted to have a few words with the newcomer but got cut by everyone turning at and greeting the next girl who entered; a freckled, pretty red-haired one.

"Hello, guys!" Lila, the ever cheerful, naïve Miss Perfect greeted back her usual way, smiling and waving hello to everyone, stopping briefly to greet everyone by name on her way to her seat among the popular crew; even if Lila wasn't snobbish at all, she usually hung around Rhonda and her group due similar interests. The red-haired stopped to greet Helga, whose frown diminished a little bit… but it was barely noticeable.

"Greeting, Helga!"

"Yeah, whatever," Helga replied, her moody answer not affecting Lila's attitude at all. Helga's dislike for the girl wasn't as intense as when they were in Elementary, mostly due Arnold's crush on her practically disappearing, but their personalities were so clashing (at least, from Helga's POV) she still couldn't consider her a close friend, even if admitting (grudgingly) that the former country girl wasn't that bad at all, being one of the few persons that knew her secret, never taking advantage of that situation.

Angelica, meanwhile, had acknowledged Lila's presence, as everyone else, and got an interested face.

"_This girl practically screams 'sweetness'; it's a wonder she's not surrounded by bees."_ Angelica thought while Lila took her place among the popular students.

"Lila, she's Angelica; her family moved temporarily from California." Rhonda made the introduction, Lila and Angelica shaking hands immediately.

"Glad to meet you, Angelica. I know how it feels to be the new girl; if you need anything to help with your transition, I'll be more than happy to offer assistance."

Angelica wide opened her eyes at Lila's smile; she had seen that expression before… naïve, kind, eager to help, plus a freckled red head; in other words, perfect.

"Why, thank you, Lila; now you mention it, I lost a lot of studying time during our moving here, so I may need some help the first couple of weeks; don't want my grades to drop from the beginning."

"Say no more; if you need my notebooks, or help with your homework, just ask." Lila smiled sweetly, obviously forgetting or doesn't caring that the school year had just started and therefore it was impossible to lose studying time the previous days, while Angelica got a little grin.

"_Popular position… checked; boys impressed with me… checked; a sidekick… checked! I'm so good I amaze myself."_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Angelica expected, Rhonda and Lila were a valuable source of information; by the end of third period, she already knew the basics about her classmates, mainly who were the popular ones and who she should avoid. One of the things she had to remember was that, despite the obvious high-school stereotypes, she had to be more or less polite with everyone, due the fact most of them knew each other all their lives; even Rhonda, who was one of the school's most popular girls, was in good terms with some non-popular ones, especially with Nadine, who was either qualified as 'weird insect lover' or 'odd hobby's girl', but still was the brunette's best friend.

"And that Arnold guy is really as nice as he seems, or is just a pose?" Angelica asked Rhonda, Nadine and Lila while the girls walked to the cafeteria.

"Oh, no, he's one of the most honest and decent guys around." Lila commented.

"If you ever have a problem and don't feel okay telling to anyone else, go with him... actually, many times he helps you even without asking. He's like, our Mister Solve It All; most people around here owe him more than one favor and he never asks to get paid back." Nadine added.

"So, if he's so important, why he isn't part of the popular crew?" Angelica asked.

"Because he's not popular like us, in the fashion, class and style senses," Rhonda cleared, "but in the friendly and supportive ones; he doesn't really fits in any category because he plays baseball like the jocks, likes science like the nerds, and organizes the best parties like us, the A-people. Honestly, the only persons I know that doesn't really like him are the bullies, especially Helga; she practically hates him."

Nadine sighed yet nodded while Lila kept silence and Angelica got a thoughtful expression.

"It seems this Helga is a major pain in the neck."

"You don't know half of it," Rhonda rolled her eyes, "in her defense, the girl has more guts than anyone else in this school, and sometimes it's fun to hang around with, but most of the time it's better to keep your distance…"

"Oh, my dear beloved!"

"Talking about keeping distance," Rhonda groaned and walked a few steps back. Angelica turned to see the boy who had called her; he was thin, a little taller than Arnold, with a bowl hairdo, thick glasses, and dressed with a green oversized shirt and brown cargo pants.

"Let me guess; a Three Stooges' fan?" Angelica whispered at Nadine, who chuckled a little bit while Lila moved aside to allow the boy to pass; he practically ignored the other girls while focusing entirely on Rhonda.

"Oh, Rhonda, my love, it had been torture not being at the same classroom as you! I've missed your voice, your classic beauty… the smell of your hair…"

"Ugh! Curly, cut it, can you?" Rhonda got a nauseated face but then a sly one. "But, if you really want to make me happy, be a dear and pay my lunch."

"Anything for you, my adored majesty," Curly bowed respectfully in front of the brunette.

"Good; then, go to the cafeteria and save me a place in the food line before everyone eats the best."

The moment Rhonda stopped talking, Curly dashed away so fast he could have broken a few track records. Angelica chuckled at the scene before turning back at Rhonda.

"Is he your boyfriend? If you bought it, ask for a refund."

"No, he isn't her boyfriend." Nadine informed. "Curly had been in love with her for years now, and is always trying to conquer Rhonda no matter what."

"I thought it would be better now that we barely have any classes together, but he still keeps popping out of nowhere!" Rhonda whined. "I swear, that freak must have a radar or something… either that, or he's a government experiment gone crazy; emphasis in 'crazy'."

"I think it's kind of cute, in a disturbing and unusual way." Lila commented as the girls continued their way. "He's entirely devoted to you, Rhonda."

"I know; that's one of his few redeeming qualities, his great taste in women." Rhonda sighed. "I have no major problems with his 'geek' side… except for the social implications, of course; it's the 'weird' one that freaks me out!"

"Yes; some geeks are… cute." Angelica thought out loud, the last part almost a whisper, the other girls giving her a puzzled look at her sudden change of tone and expression. Angelica noticed it, and returned to her usual self. "I mean, I have a little cousin who's crazy for weird inventions, New Age stuff and aliens, and Harold, one of my best friends at home, is a comic books' geek; they are both annoying but cute."

"Funny; we have a Harold too, but he's not exactly a geek." Nadine said as they finally entered the cafeteria.

"Yes, he's more a food junkie and as delicate as an ox in a crystal shop." Rhonda pointed at the food line, where a tough features' boy, slightly shorter than Stinky and far more corpulent, dressed with a blue sleeveless jacket and black jeans, was whining and groaning at the food line.

"Can you guys hurry up? I'm starving here, and if I don't eat soon I'll pound someone and it will not be funny!"

"Well, he has my friend's appetite but likeness ends there." Angelica commented at Rhonda. "Think your love slave can buy my lunch too? I don't want to stand behind that guy; you can never know if he had beans for breakfast."

"Knowing Harold, that wouldn't be a surprise," Rhonda rolled her eyes before walking to the food line, where Curly had placed himself five places ahead of Harold, and told him what she and Angelica would have.

Helga, who was sitting not so far away from the door (she liked this particular table because it provided a good view of the whole place, including Arnold's usual table) got a surprised look at the scene.

"Phoebe, you saw what just happened?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Helga," Phoebe shrugged as eating the veggie sandwich she prepared for lunch. "Rhonda is doing her new friend a favor."

"That's the point! When was last time Princess did this menial work? She always asks Nadine to do that, or Lila, because, well, unless it's something illegal or 'not proper'," Helga air-quoted, "Miss Perfect does everything you ask her for. But this Angelica girl just opens her mouth, and gets Rhonda to do what she asked… even if it meant talking with Curly!"

"I see what you mean." Phoebe conceded. "However, I'll stick to my first theory; she's a newcomer and our classmates are being nice with her; the boys do it due chivalry or lack of hormonal control, and Rhonda because of the obvious compatible personalities."

"Maybe, but I still don't like that girl. Let's keep an eye on her, just in case."

"If it makes you happy… keeping," Phoebe sighed. She knew very well that, once her friend had an idea, she wouldn't let insignificant stuff like common sense, legal restrictions and physical laws to stand in her way.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

By the end of last period, Helga already had enough of the new girl. She basically was doing the same as her, insulting and bossing people around, but her way was so subtle and calculated the insults looked like minor flirting or joking comments, and the bossing like simple favors. On one side, Helga had to admit she was impressed and slightly envious of the girl's method, but she wasn't going to stand a self-proclaimed princess appearing from nowhere to do her will; one Rhonda was more than enough.

Helga had distracted herself from these thoughts by using her own therapy; spitballs against Arnold. The girl did it at least one time every ten minutes, much to the boy's annoyance and her pleasure when he turned to look at her, Helga frowning at Arnold when he was looking back and getting a slight happy grin when he looked back at the teacher. Angelica, sitting a few places behind them, noticed this and arched an eyebrow at the scene.

"_Spitballs; how old is she, nine?" _The teen rolled her eyes yet got a little idea; the class was a little boring –being the first of the year, it consisted mainly on the teacher rambling the class' rules- and she felt like doing something for boredom relief. Angelica took out a rubber band she used to keep her pens and pencils from spreading through her make-up kit, and prepared her aim.

"Now, class, we'll proceed with our first assignment." The teacher said as turning to the blackboard to write something, his comment making almost everyone to groan in annoyance. Helga chose that moment to shot another spitball; the girl aimed at the football head in front of her and…

**COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!**

"Are you okay, Miss Pataki?" The teacher asked Helga as he and everyone else looked at the blonde, coughing violently at her seat.

"Yeah, I… _cough…_ I think some saliva went the other way… _cough…_" Helga handled to say. Arnold stood up and gave some firm yet gentle slaps at her back so Helga soon could breathe normally.

"Need to go to the infirmary, Helga?" Arnold asked the girl, concern evident on his voice. Despite the experience, Helga felt like Heaven for a few seconds before returning to her usual scowl.

"I'm fine, Arnold-o! It was just some saliva, not a blade."

"Whatever you say, Helga," Arnold rolled his eyes and sat back on his place. Helga smiled fondly at him for a moment before noticing something stuck on her hair; a rubber band, the same thing that hit her the moment she was about to shoot, surprising and causing her to swallow the spitball.

"_But who did it? I mean, who is so idiotic or suicide to even think about pulling a prank on me?"_ Helga thought and then wide opened her eyes in realization; the only one who could do this was someone who hadn't learned to fear her. The tall blonde turned to see the newcomer, who was showing a so-called innocent face yet her wide grin was evident.

"_I'm so funny." _Angelica thought.

"_You're so dead." _Helga clenched her teeth, barely realizing when the teacher got back to talking about the assignment.

"The assignment will be about any book you like; I want a complete analysis including style, character development, argument twists, and, if you want, a little biography of the author." The teacher explained. "To make it easier, we'll make this a team's homework and you'll have a week to do it. Now, I know many of you are used to work with a friend, but I'll assign the teams randomly."

"This guy is Mister Simmons' cousin or what?" Sid commented at Stinky, who simply shrugged as the teacher chose the names from several little pieces of paper; Rhonda got paired with Lila, Sid with Peapod, Stinky with Gerald…

Helga forgot her bad mood for a moment, remembering that, somehow, fate had a very twisted sense of humor in these cases; 9 of 10 times, Helga ended paired with Arnold, something she enjoyed greatly even if also caused her a major case of emotional stress.

"… Pataki and Heyerdhal…"

Helga wide opened her eyes; of course she liked the idea of working with Phoebe, but was also disappointed at the fact Arnold would be paired with someone else; disappointment got replaced by shock when remembering there were almost no students left to get paired with.

"And, finally, Pickles and… great, a coffee stain; can't read this surname. Oh, well, the only one left is you; Arnold, right?" The teacher said to the boy, who nodded at him. "Good; well, then all pairings are ready."

Helga had to do her best to not screaming, and hardly registered when the final bell rang; some of the students left while the others stayed to talk about the project.

"So, Angelica, want to work at the library or at your place?" Arnold asked her.

"I don't like libraries that much, and our house is still a little messy. How about your house; it's that okay?"

"Sure; we can go tomorrow after classes, if you want."

Helga overheard the conversation, and, after excusing herself with Phoebe, went to the bathroom, closing the door in a hurry and taking out her locket.

"That witch… not even a day here, and she already is driving me crazy! And now she's getting Arnold's attention? The attention I and only I deserve?" Helga then looked at the locket, Arnold's old picture replaced with a more recent one. "Oh, Arnold, my dear, my only love, so noble, unselfish and chivalrous… why your wise football head, that had saved and provided assistance to everyone around you in countless occasions, is so dense concerning your own life? Why don't you realize that girl is nothing more than a mischievous siren, using her fake charms and tricky voice to steal you from me, separating us even more? But fear not, Arnold, as I'll protect you from the dastardly banshee threatening our happiness…"

_**Wheeze… wheeze…!**_

Helga stopped her love rant and got a deep frown, knowing perfectly who was behind her. The girl reacted her usual way, delivering a powerful back punch at her stalker's face, knocking him out before leaving, talking to her self and fuming.

"Seriously, Brainy, the girls' restroom… and here I thought Curly was the crazy one!"


	3. Let Hostilities Begin

**-**** Let Hostilities Begin.**

"Angelica, hurry up; you're getting late."

"I'm on my way, Dad." Angelica said as finishing and sending the e-mail she wrote that morning after breakfast. It was addressed to her friend Susie, the main contact with her old home; even if having a more or less good social position at her old school, she only trusted Susie to keep her informed. The girls promised to e-mail each other every day, so Angelica was sure Susie's reply would be at her laptop that same evening after returning from Arnold's place.

The blonde's mood had improved considerably since yesterday; even if snobbish, Rhonda was way friendlier than the popular girls at home, and both girls seemed to click perfectly, plus Lila fitted all Angelica's requirements in an assistant; practically all boys got an instant like for her, and she was already thinking about ways to manipulate the teachers; the Pataki girl seemed to be the only major problem she would face, and Angelica trusted her own wits and guts to handle her.

"_This place isn't that bad… but I still wish HE was here."_ The blonde sighed and got a slightly sad smile, thinking about the person she missed the most. Angelica shook her head and got back her usual sly look.

"Time to go school, Fluffy; be a good cat and don't bite Cynthia, okay?" Angelica petted her Persian cat, almost as old as herself, gave a fast look to her favorite toy from childhood (a blond, not exactly in good conditions doll) and grabbed her backpack. The girl walked downstairs, and, not surprisingly, found Drew, her dad, checking several contracts and Charlotte, her mother, at the cell phone.

"I have to go see an investor, Angelica; I'll take you school on my way." Charlotte cut the conversation for a moment to talk to her daughter. Angelica simply nodded and gave her dad a fast kiss at the cheek before she and Charlotte exited the house, the woman still talking at the phone and only pausing to say a 'Good bye-Love you' to her husband he replied the same way.

Angelica was used to this; both her parents were workaholics. Most of Angelica's memories of her mother had her talking at the phone barking orders and coordinating business deals even while performing everyday domestic tasks like cooking or cleaning… of course, Drew made a good part of the house work, but Charlotte wasn't exactly useless at home. Even if this gave them little time to spend with their daughter, and was the main reason they had to move away from home, Angelica still loved her parents… besides, their job paid for her laptop and last fashion clothing.

"So, Sweetie, this boy you're seeing after school, is he trustworthy?" Charlotte asked Angelica while driving.

"Don't worry, Mom, I checked him with my classmates; apparently he's a good guy. Besides, I'll have my cell phone on the whole time if needing anything."

"Good; call me or your father if needing us to pick you up or something." Charlotte said before going back to her phone conference.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You brought everything, Phoebe?"

"Yes, I do; and you, Helga?"

"Right here; oh, this is going to be so sweet." Helga chuckled silently as she and Phoebe waited for the bus.

Phoebe rolled her eyes yet said nothing and smiled slightly. Even if the petite girl usually disliked when Helga had this kind of plan, the Asian understood her reasons; Helga could forgive Angelica standing up to her, the newcomer's attitude, and even the rubber band's incident, but any girl getting extra attention from 'Ice Cream' was something her friend didn't like at all. Besides, Phoebe admitted to herself, it would be kind of funny; in the past, they had performed these pranks with the help of the other girls, but with Rhonda's obvious sympathy for Angelica, Nadine always taking her best friend's side, and Lila and Sheena not being the prankster type, it was up to Helga and her to give Angelica a real 'New Girl's Welcome', Hillwood-style.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Alright, girls, one more lap around the gym and we're done for today." Mrs. Tish Wittenberg, the girls' P.E. teacher, said to her class as they kept running.

Angelica got a deep breath and did her best to keep her classmates' pace; the blonde wasn't weak, but she had the nasty habit of skipping P.E. at her old school, so high endurance efforts weren't exactly easy for her. Helga, on the other hand, was running ahead of the rest of the group, turning a little bit to catch a glance of Angelica.

"_This is great; she's making the whole thing easier for me."_ Helga exchanged looks with Phoebe, who nodded at her and moved in front of some of her other classmates to get sure they wouldn't fall victims of Helga's trick.

Helga stopped and moved aside, pretending to check her shoelaces; when realizing Angelica was about to pass next to her, the Pataki girl took a little can out of her shorts' pocket, spraying the content in Angelica's path. It was something her sister used a lot when visiting and, as usual, did all the cooking; low-calories oil.

"WHOA!" Angelica slipped, the girl so tired and surprised she had no time to react and fell on her butt. Helga stood up, chuckling, and got back to running after telling something to the other girl.

"Nice landing; now your butt will look like your face."

Angelica, rubbing her behind, checked her left shoe, realizing it had something on it, and guessing her fall was no accident at all.

"Angelica, are you okay? YIKES!"

WHOMP!

Lila returned to check her new friend, the freckled girl slipping with the oil as well and landing on top of Angelica. Helga had to do a major effort to hold laughter, but didn't need to do it for long since the other girls started chuckling at the scene as well, taking it as a funny accident.

"Sawyer, Pickles, you two are fine?" The teacher approached the fallen girls, who had started standing up.

"Yes, Mrs. Wittenberg; it seems the floor is a little slippery." Lila commented.

"Mmm… guess the janitor cleaned the gym right before the class and it's still wet at some points." The teacher guessed. Angelica said nothing but glared discretely at Helga.

"_I don't like baseball, Pataki, but that was 'Strike One'."_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

While Angelica talked with Rhonda and Lila at the showers, Phoebe and Helga prepared the second prank. Since obviously they were using their gym uniforms, the girls' regular clothing was at the gym's lockers; Helga opened Angelica's without problems.

"Your locksmith abilities are certainly impressive, Helga."

"Well, Phoebe, when your locker gets stuck as frequently as your parents lock the house's door from the inside forgetting your key will not open it when returning, you have to pick up a few extra skills." Helga shrugged. "Now, do that while I keep my eyes open."

"Doing," Phoebe said as taking out a second spray, this one filled up with a substance she made herself with her chemistry set at home.

"Are you sure it will work, Phoebe?"

"Yes; I even tested it in my person last night, in a minimal dose, of course. It's not lethal or really harmful, but it's extremely effective." Phoebe grinned at her friend when finishing, and then closed back the locker, getting sure it was exactly as Angelica left it.

Helga and Phoebe started dressing with their regular clothing the same moment the other girls returned. Angelica gave Helga another glare she apparently ignored, and then opened her locker to dress up (this time using a blue long-sleeved shirt) while having small talk with Rhonda.

"I know a very good place at the mall with some divine clothing, Angelica; we can go this weekend." Rhonda commented.

"Good idea; I like my clothing but hadn't bought new wardrobe in a while. I have used this shirt for so long it starts to itch." Angelica joked, but suddenly realized her words were no longer fake ones. "Seriously… it's itching… A LOT!"

Angelica hated to ruin her posture in public, but couldn't avoid it; the blonde started furiously scratching herself, surprising everyone but Helga and Phoebe, who chuckled at silently as possible. Lila and Nadine overcame the initial surprise and approached Angelica to help her; Nadine raised the lower part of the shirt, gasping when finding a rash.

"Angelica, remove your shirt!" Nadine said in alarm, and Helga and Phoebe left because they no longer could hold laughter.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Good thing you brought an extra clothes' change, Angelica." Lila commented at the blonde as they walked out of their classroom; Angelica was now using a medium length-sleeved green shirt covering the many band aids and the ointment the school nurse used to relief her itch; luckily, the blonde's arms and face were mostly unaffected.

"Yeah, you never know when facing a fashion emergency… or a medical one." Angelica frowned. According to the nurse, her clothing got slightly sprayed with an irritant concoction, not very strong, but very fast-acting. The nurse offered to call Angelica's parents and let her go home early, but she asked for not doing that, because, she said, didn't want to worry her parents, and, in reality, didn't want to give that satisfaction to the prankster, who, in the nurse's opinion, to create such substance, was either a genius or insane.

"_Or a genius working for a mentally insane," _Angelica thought, remembering what Rhonda and company had told her about Helga and Phoebe; according to them, Phoebe was extremely kind and likable, but also totally loyal to Helga, and incredibly smart for her age. _"That was Strike Two, Pataki."_

"I have to pick up something at my locker; see you later." Lila said to Angelica, who simply nodded at her and kept walking, finding Arnold on her way.

"I heard about that incident; are you fine?"

"As fine as if I had been playing with poison ivy," the blonde groaned. "I had to bath again and cover my whole body with a cream the nurse gave me."

"I'm sorry; can't believe people still play those pranks on newcomers." Arnold rolled his eyes. "If you feel bad, I can start the project on my own, and you can help me some other day."

Angelica considered the idea for a few moments; she was thinking about making Arnold do most of the work anyway, but the blonde knew she wouldn't be able to do it with a boy she just had met, especially one that seemed to have no romantic interest on her and acted this way out of chivalry and decency. At least for now and until learning how to manipulate the boy without visibly abusing of his trust, she would need to do some work of her own.

"No… don't worry. Besides, this will help me know a little more about this city and orient myself; back at home, I got lost at downtown once, and that's a experience I don't want to repeat."

Arnold smiled and offered to carry the girl's books, Angelica accepting immediately. A few moments later, they were in front of her locker, and she opened it, ignoring Helga had opened and closed it back just a few minutes before.

**POOOOOF!**

"YUCK!" Angelica covered her nose and got teary eyes due the stink bomb she activated when opening the door. Arnold, who was next to her, didn't get the whole impact but still got slightly affected; luckily, he reacted and pulled Angelica away from the locker, guiding her to the closest water fountain so she could wash her face. Some students who were at the corridor too felt the stench as and ran away.

"Feeling better?" Arnold asked his companion after she washed her face for a few minutes.

"Yes… but my breakfast is dancing Hip-Hop in my stomach!" Angelica panted, "I have to go to the bathroom."

Arnold helped Angelica reach the closest bathroom, the girl catching a glance of another blonde watching the scene from a nearby corner.

"_So, Pinky and her Brain attacked again."_ Angelica's growl got interpreted by Arnold as simple and understandable annoyance as he left her in front of the bathroom.

"I'll take your stuff to our classroom and tell the teacher you aren't feeling fine; maybe you should go back to the infirmary."

"Thanks, Dad," Angelica said in sarcasm before softening her expression just a little bit. "I'll go to the room in a moment; just tell the teacher I had to make an emergency stop and will be there soon."

Arnold nodded at the girl before she entered the bathroom. Angelica washed her face, thanked God for her stomach calming down on its own, and applied some makeup and sprayed herself with some perfume to improve her image and scent as much as humanly possible after getting a close encounter with a stink bomb. The girl looked at her reflection, and growled slightly.

"Okay, Pataki, that was Strike Three; maybe you're a tough player, but I'm a professional."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Helga, I have two things to tell you."

"What, Princess; are you angry because I messed with your new toy?" Helga replied while giving Rhonda her best smug look as the brunette approached her in the food line.

"One, your pranks… were good, I admit it." Rhonda smirked while getting a friendlier tone but returned to a more serious one, "and two, you're exaggerating. Angelica doesn't know about your tricks; she had no chance to defend herself."

"Oh, please, Rhondaloid; your gossips and rumors can be as hurtful as my pranks and insults." Helga reminded the brunette. "Besides, you said it, the girl is a newcomer; I'm just having some fun with her as we all did when we met Lila, remember?"

"Yes, and I also remember you were the first one to apologize to her and make the rest of us to do the same."

"Only because, well, I admit it, we were extremely harsh with Miss Perfect, and she can't take a prank. Don't tell me the Pickles girl doesn't have a sense of humor."

"Fine, Helga, I know there's no way I can convince you…"

"No more than I can do with you, Princess." Helga pointed.

"Good point; but, seriously, cut it, okay? You had your fun, gave Angelica a rash, and made a fool out of her at the gym; so, stop the pranks."

"Can't promise anything," Helga smirked. Rhonda was tempted to say a few more things, but, despite their differences, Helga was still a classmate she had known her whole life, and they finally had reached a certain level of tolerance, knowing perfectly when to stop and avoid a major confrontation.

"Oh, my precious!" Rhonda groaned when hearing Curly approaching, "You don't need to make the line; your humble servant will provide anything you may need!"

Rhonda groaned again while Helga chuckled; as much as the brunette liked having someone doing stuff for her, she knew every time she allowed Curly doing it the boy got encouraged to continue his obsessive pursuit. The girl was about to say something to him when Angelica appeared from nowhere and grabbed Curly by the back of his collar.

"Allow me handle this, Rhonda; I need to vent some steam." Angelica gave Helga a fast glare before dragging Curly out of the cafeteria.

"Angelica, don't hurt him… that much." Rhonda said to the blonde, getting a half-impressed, half-grateful face, while Helga arched an eyebrow; from the beginning, it was apparent to both girls that Angelica was quite feisty, but they had no idea if she could do something beyond verbal aggression; however, even if Curly wasn't exactly bulky, Angelica was effortlessly dragging him out, as if he weighted nothing.

"_The girl is stronger than she seems."_ Helga made a mental note in case she ever needed to give Angelica a more direct treatment.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Let me go! My lady needs my assistance at all times!"

"Oh, shut up, Maniac." Angelica pinned Curly against a locker, glaring at him. "How much do you really care about Rhonda?"

"She's my sun, my life, the very reason of every breath…"

"You like the girl, I get it." Angelica cut him and got a sly grin. "So… would you like getting a picture of her? Not one taken at a distance, but one where she is smiling and posing."

Curly stopped resisting, a broad smile appearing on his face.

"What do you want?"

"Information; everything you have on Helga Pataki."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Done; you're a natural, Rhonda." Angelica said to the brunette while taking her a picture with her cell phone. "My friends at home will like these ones."

"Oh, it was nothing. Glad to help you." Rhonda said in her usual tone, ignoring, of course, that Angelica would give one of those pictures to Curly. To make it less suspicious, Angelica took pictures of Lila, Nadine, Lorenzo, Iggy and Peapod as well, and even a few ones of the others, even one from Helga and Phoebe (this one taken at a distance, of course), claiming she wanted her friends at home to know her new classmates, which was actually truth. Angelica already had a thing for taking pictures, either to mock people or check their outfits, which would also provide a good excuse to take more pictures of Rhonda if needing Curly again.

Angelica and the rest of the popular crew were outside the school, waiting for the bus, and, in the blonde's case, waiting for Arnold as well. The football headed boy and Gerald joined them right before the bus arrived; Helga saw them at a distance, clenching her teeth. The study session was something she couldn't stop, and seeing Angelica talking to Arnold still made her extremely mad, so decided to wait for next bus to avoid being in the same vehicle as them; one of the things Helga had learned over the years was that over-attacking any girl spending time with Arnold would make her look like the villain and said girl as a martyr, so, as much as she wanted sabotaging that session, couldn't do it without risking damaging even more the opinion the boy already had of her. Anyway, after having such a bad day, Helga doubted Angelica would be on the mood to play any stunt on Arnold.

At the bus, while everyone else was chatting, Angelica was still thinking about how to get even on Helga by using the information Curly gave her; the girl already had a few ideas, and, by offering an extra picture, got the crazy boy's phone number and his promise to assist her whenever necessary. The girl got snapped out of her thoughts by Arnold telling her they were almost at their stop; a few moments later, the two blondes and Gerald walked down the vehicle.

"Have to go, guys; I promised my Mom I would help Timberly with her homework." Gerald rolled his eyes.

"Just one picture before you leave, Gerald." Angelica said to the boy, who got a wide grin while posing, this time being Arnold's turn to roll his eyes while the girl took the picture.

"Hope your friends at home can stand my coolness." Gerald grinned smugly at the blonde.

"Maybe I should take another picture; not sure if your ego fitted well in this one." Angelica smirked at the jock that made a double take while Arnold chuckled. Gerald shrugged after a few moments, and, after doing his special salute with Arnold, left the place.

"Nice guy, but kind of a show-off… and I are an expert in the theme." Angelica commented to Arnold as they walked down the street.

"Gerald is a cool guy, and an even better friend; is just that he enjoys attention a lot."

"I can respect that." Angelica shrugged. "At least he's a lot better than Pataki."

"Yeah; if pranks and insults were an Olympic sport, Helga would bring the gold with no problems." Arnold sighed. "But trust me, once you get to know she and you're lucky enough to see her nice side, Helga is actually a good girl."

"Let me guess; if there's a flood, while everyone else complains about the damage, you remind everyone that at least the streets got washed." The girl arched an eyebrow at the boy, who, instead of getting upset, got a little grin.

"Maybe that's why you and Helga don't stand each other; she is just as sarcastic."

"I hope not; I like being unique." The girl got a proud grin as they kept walking. Lots of people on the street said hello to Arnold, and even a few ones did it from their businesses, something Angelica noticed, remembering what the girls said about Arnold's type of popularity.

"So, where is it?"

"Where's what?"

"Your monument; these guys seem to love you." Angelica pointed. "It's a wonder your ego isn't bigger than your head."

"I thought you were sparing me of the head's comments." Arnold politely reminded the girl. "And, well, I'm just in good terms with almost everyone, and they're being friendly, that's all."

Angelica had her reply ready when noticing Arnold was getting an uneasy expression as they approached a building that seemed slightly older than the others but still in more or less habitable conditions.

"Look, Angelica, before we get in, I have to tell you something… a little warning, if you want."

"Don't tell me your father walks around the house on trousers." Angelica groaned, but then got a slightly concerned expression when noticing Arnold's uneasiness got replaced by a little sad look.

"I live with my grandparents."

Angelica wide opened her eyes, realizing her involuntary mistake when guessing the reason Arnold wasn't living with his parents.

"Sorry, I didn't…"

"It's okay; you didn't know. I'm fine; my grandparents are okay, but a little… eccentric." Arnold said as rubbing the back of his head. "Especially my grandma; she can be a little… different at times. Also, this is a boarding house, so I have a very interesting extended family; they're not exactly conventional, so I'm asking you to be patient and don't freak out, please."

"Ah, well, as long as they're not dangerous, I can stand a certain level of weirdness." Angelica shrugged, her tone calming Arnold immediately. The boy then motioned her to move aside while he opened the door, a little group of cats and dogs stampeding outside, followed by a pink chubby animal.

"That was a pig?" Angelica wide opened her eyes in surprise.

"Yes; he's my pet, Abner; we raised him like a puppy."

"And there are no problems with, you know, the smell?"

"Abner got used."

Arnold kept the door open for Angelica, who got greeted by a weird sight; an old woman on cowboy outfit.

"Hiya, Tex! I see you brought a new pilgrim!"

"Hi, Grandma," Arnold rolled his eyes and made the introduction. "Angelica, my grandma; Grandma, she's Angelica; we'll be working on…"

"Taking the cattle to the market, right, Tex?" Grandma Gertie cut her grandson; Arnold turned at Angelica, expecting her to have a puzzled look, but, surprisingly, she was showing her sly grin, being evident for Arnold, by now, that this was her usual expression.

"Sorry, Cowgirl, but I have no practice with cattle; I usually work with ostriches."

"Too bad; maybe next time," Gertie said to the blonde before turning at Arnold, "We'll have dinner at 6, Tex, right after my daily ride around the ranch."

The boy nodded at his grandma, who left a moment later, and then turned at Angelica.

"Ostriches? Good improvisation."

"That's no improvisation; it's a memory." Angelica shrugged. "So, where's your room?"

"At the attic; it's this way," Arnold guided his classmate; they were about to go upstairs when his grandpa exited his 'office',

"Ah, the satisfaction… hey, nobody enter there for a while, and, if you do, bring a gas mask!" The old man said out loud before noticing Arnold, "Hi, Short Man; who's your friend?"

"Angelica Pickles; glad to meet you, sir," Angelica was about to shake hands with the man when remembering his previous comment. "Uh… we'll be working at something."

"A school thing, uh? Well, I'm not interrupting you; better go see if Oskar finally behaved and didn't steal tonight's dinner."

"Okay, Grandpa; we'll be at my room." Arnold said to his grandfather while he and Angelica walked upstairs, he whispering back at her. "Sorry about the bathroom thing."

"No problem; your grandma is on medication or something?"

"No… but maybe she should," Arnold sighed as they finally reached the attic's stairway. Angelica gave the room a good look; she had to admit, Arnold had cool decoration skills.

"Nice place; if I were a boy, I would like my room being like this." Angelica said as sitting at a little couch. "So, any favorite book you would like working with? And Victoria Secret's catalog doesn't count."

"Uh… actually, I have a few ones here." Arnold, blushing slightly at Angelica's comment, got some books from his shelf. "The fifth Harry Potter's, my Rudyard Kipling and Jack London's anthologies, Moby Dick, something from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle…"

"I got lost after 'Potter'," Angelica cut the boy while giving a half-amused look to the room's pictures, getting particularly interested in one with a tiny blue hat hanging next to it; of a football-headed baby wearing that same hat (Angelica deduced), with a couple holding him; a tall blonde man and a brown-haired woman whose head looked a lot like Arnold's yet not so oblong.

"_So, he inherited t__he head from his mom; poor woman couldn't even blame the father."_ Angelica thought. "Okay… the only of those I've read is the Harry Potter one; actually, I just saw the movie."

"The book is a lot better, trust me." Arnold got a thoughtful expression. "I have an idea; let's do the report as a comparison between the book and the movie; you do the film's part if you want."

"Now you're talking my language." Angelica grinned. "Can I use your computer? I didn't bring my laptop to school… and with all the stuff that happened today, I'm happy didn't do it."

"Sure, no problem," Arnold turned on his computer and typed his password so Angelica could work there while he sat at his room's table, using a notebook to do his part. The girl was quite comfortable while working; her study partner was as nice as everyone said, and her part of the work wasn't that hard, especially for someone like her that practically devoured all movies' critics. By the time Arnold's grandpa called them for dinner, they had already done most of the report; Angelica was quite hungry by now, so called her parents to tell them she'd have dinner there.

The girl, after meeting her partner's grandparents, was now more or less ready for any weirdness coming from the boarders; however, she still got a slight puzzled look when Arnold took her to the dining room. The Asian-looking man and the blonde woman weren't that weird looking, but the brown bearded, long nosed guy smelled funny, and the other man looked like a dwarf; very short legs, thick arms, and quite broad shoulders.

"Here's the meal, cowboys!" Gertie entered the room at that moment, carrying a bowl with mashed potatoes and a smaller one with baked beans while her husband brought bread and a large fried chicken plate.

"Wow, much better smelling than yesterday's dinner." The short man whispered at the Asian.

"Well, almost everything beats eating nothing but watermelon." The Asian replied.

While everyone served him/herself a portion, Arnold made the proper introductions, his grandpa keeping a thoughtful expression at Angelica the whole time; the girl, of course, noticed immediately.

"I have something in my face?" Angelica asked the man as politely as possible but she was obviously a little freaked out by him.

"Uh? Oh, no, sorry; it's just that your surname… well, it's not common; are you somehow related to Lou Pickles?"

"Yes, he's my grandpa; you know him?" Angelica got a half-puzzled, half-relieved face.

"Knowing him?" The old man laughed. "Girl, your grandpa and I were at the same platoon! I was the cook."

Now, Angelica had learned, over the years, to zone out whenever her grandfather told his war stories, but after hearing them several times, she obviously remembered a few details, including the name of Grandpa Lou's platoon's cook.

"You're kidding me; you're Steely Phil? I always thought you were an invention from my grandpa, like the Boogeyman or the five cents hamburgers."

"Nope, I'm quite real; so how old Pickles doing these days? Still a ladies man or he finally married that nice lady he was always showing off at camp?"

"Well, he married my grandmother and had two sons, my uncle and my dad; my grandma passed away when they were just children, but my grandpa remarried like, ten years ago." Angelica replied before eating a first spoonful of potatoes.

"That old dog!" Phil laughed as shaking his head. "Still the same ladies man; he always got girls for everyone whenever we were on permission. We all missed him when he broke his leg and returned home before us."

The conversation followed that line through the whole dinner, just interrupted whenever Oskar tried to snatch an extra snack from someone else's dish; Angelica wasn't fond on talking with old people, but she reminded herself about remembering her manners, and besides, the man was moderately interesting. After an hour or so, Arnold offered to take her home, something she thanked since Hillwood's streets still were unknown to her.

"You weren't kidding about your family." The girl said as they walked down the street, heading to the bus stop. "On the bright side, your grandma isn't a bad cook."

"You're lucky she's on her cowboy mode; you shouldn't be saying that if she was in her British one and prepared kidney pie." Arnold chuckled, "Funny that our grandparents know each other."

"It's a small world." Angelica shrugged. "I have to say, this is one of the best homework sessions I've had in a while, even if I had to do some work myself."

"So, you normally let your partner do most of it?" Arnold arched an eyebrow at the girl.

"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm a 'give-me-attention' kind of person; usually, my partner does all the work and I present it with style and grace. A win-win situation; I don't need to tire myself and he or she doesn't need to get nervous in front of the teacher and the whole class." Angelica replied smoothly; Arnold simply gave her a half-amused look.

"No wonder you and Rhonda are becoming fast friends."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That night, after taking another extremely long bath and rubbing a little more ointment on her torso (the rash wasn't so severe by now but it was still present), and promising herself to never, ever, eat that many baked beans for dinner, Angelica called Curly and asked him to bring a few items to school the next day; even if her mood had improved notably, the girl was still angry with Helga, and had to get even soon, while the Pataki girl still thought she would need more time to plan a decent revenge.

"I'll show that Monkey Face; maybe I didn't start this war but I have full intention of winning it." Angelica said to her cat while turning on her laptop; she wasn't in a hurry to do the rest of her homework since it wasn't too much and already had permission from Lila to copy hers in case she needed to, and the blonde wanted to read Susie's reply to her previous message. She wasn't disappointed.

"**Hi, Angelica; got your message… but you already know it (duh!) so here are the last news."**

Angelica chuckled a little bit; she and Susie had a lot of practice writing to each other as if they were phone-talking, to the point they preferred regular mail to chat rooms.

"**First of all, I'm glad you're making friends; just remember to not driving them crazy on the first week, and, if finding someone nice, don't be so eager to get an assistant. It doesn't hurt doing some work by yourself once in a while."**

"Always lecturing me, isn't it, Susie?" Angelica rolled her eyes yet never lost her grin.

"**About the gang, well, Harold is still missing you; he is so used to being your assistant he simply doesn't know what to do when you're not around; I'm letting him help me with some stuff to keep him busy and happy (and no, I'm not hypocrite; I still do most of my things by myself); I have to say, when keeping his helping mania on check, he's quite likable. I told him that I'll be writing to you everyday and serving as a connection between us so he doesn't overwhelm your inbox."**

"Nice idea, Susie; to be honest, I wouldn't mind getting a message from him once in a while." Angelica sighed; Harold was a pain at times but not bad at all.

"**Now, about your cousins, Dil is trying to build an antenna to send radio signals to aliens; his main problem right now is convincing your aunt to install it at the backyard. Tommy is working on the script for his new movie; he told me it's quite hard to do it now that he can't cast you as the main villain."**

"What can I say? I'm irreplaceable."

"**Phil, as usual, is complaining everyday about how much his teachers hate him, and relieving his anger with videogames, food fights, and corporal noises. Lil is ****losing no time and is already training for soccer season; I pity the poor goalkeeper trying to stop her ball. Kimi and I went to the mall today to check the new dresses; she got a nice new one; I'll send you a picture later."**

"Hope you do; I miss giving her the thumbs up or down."

"**But there's something we are all doing; missing you… especially Him."**

Angelica's grin disappeared, replaced by a thoughtful and slightly sad face.

"**I think nobody here, including myself, ever realized how much we are used to your presence; sure, at times you go on vacation with your parents but we always knew you would be back in a few days, and now… He misses you, Angelica. He mentions your name practically on every conversation; it seems no matter what he does, there's always something that reminds him about you. Just a few hours ago I saw Him beaming when looking at a blonde and deflating when realizing it was another girl. Of course He denies it, and asked me to not telling you how much he misses you, but I think otherwise; I know you two hadn't been exactly best friends, but there was always a strong connection between Him and you. Maybe you should e-mail Him; I know he's tempted to do it, but also that he's afraid of your answer.**** Sorry for dropping this bomb, but it's important."**

"Brutal honesty; for you, Susie, it may be easier to remove your own arm than forgetting about that." Angelica sighed sadly, but a little smile returned to her face almost immediately. "He misses me… he really misses me."

"**I have to go now. Write to you tomorrow, gi****rl. Bye."**

Angelica proceeded to reply the e-mail; she was tempted to mail Him as well, but decided to give the guy a little yet significant hint instead; asking Susie to tell everyone she missed all of them too and would gladly accept an occasional message or phone call.


	4. Payback

**- Payback.**

"Sometimes, life can be really good, Pheebs." Helga said to her friend while taking a relaxed position at the bus seat. "That annoying Barbie Doll will think twice before messing with me; maybe she'll not even come to school today."

"Certainly, Helga, yesterday's stunts may prove too much emotional and physical stress to anyone. I just hope we didn't exaggerate."

"Relax, girl; we'll give her a few days to recover and meditate about her horrible fate if making me angry again… if she's not with her parents right now begging to move back home as soon as possible." Helga chuckled. Phoebe got a little smile that faded when looking through the bus' window, finding Angelica at the teachers' parking lot talking with the P.E. one.

"Helga, look! Angelica is talking with Mrs. Wittenberg!" The blonde did as the Asian said, wide opening her eyes and then narrowing them.

"Great; little Miss Big Mouth is telling her the accident was my thing." Helga growled.

"Maybe it was a mistake to prank her more than once within such a short time lapse. It's not hard to figure the incidents are connected somehow." Phoebe gulped.

The moment the bus stopped, Helga practically dashed out of the vehicle, Phoebe following her as fast as possible, catching up Angelica the moment she left the parking lot.

"Okay, Dolly Girl, you couldn't keep your trap closed, isn't it?" Helga accused Angelica, who gave her a so-called innocent look.

"Why, Pataki, you're insulting me. I can take a prank, you know; and I'm quite respectful of the unwritten social laws, so no, I said nothing about those childish tricks you performed yesterday. Mrs. Wittenberg and I were having nothing but a little student-teacher conference."

Helga studied the girl's expression, trying to figure her out; either she was totally honest, or Angelica had the best poker face Helga have ever seen.

"I'm watching you, Pickles." Helga pointed at Angelica, who shrugged and walked away after giving a fast 'good morning' to Phoebe. After she advanced a few steps, a little tube fell from her pocket, the blonde realizing (or pretending to realize) it a few seconds later.

"Oh, my new lipstick; Helga, can you give it to me? It's quite expensive."

"Who do you think I am; your personal lackey?" Helga snapped at her yet got a sly grin. "So… it's new, uh?"

"Yes, and it's my favorite type, so…"

Helga picked it up and opened the tube, giving it an amused face.

"Helga, you aren't…" Phoebe whispered at her friend, guessing her intentions, while Angelica got an apprehensive tone.

"Don't even dare, Pataki! I don't know where your camel lips had been!"

"Camel lips?" Helga gave Angelica a puzzled look.

"Do you know any other animal that spits as much as you do?" Angelica growled at Helga, who got a furious expression and then a mocking one.

"Well, then I hope you don't mind a little saliva giving extra consistence to your lipstick." Helga then proceeded to use the lipstick; to annoy Angelica the most Helga didn't stop until her mouth looked like a clown's smile.

"Ugh! Keep it!" Angelica fumed and marched inside the school while Helga laughed loudly.

"You saw her, Phoebe? What a fool!" Helga chuckled. "Hey, pass me a handkerchief, please; I want to clean this paint from my mouth."

"Passing," Phoebe gave Helga a handkerchief, the blonde cleaning herself a moment later.

"I don't know why this stuff is so expensive; it didn't even taste that good. Thanks, Pheebs." Helga returned the clothing to Phoebe, who gave Helga a good look.

"Uh… Helga, you didn't clean it well; your lips still look bright red."

Helga touched her lips to clean them; she got a little surprised face when noticing her hand was spotless.

"Are you sure, Phoebe? It seems I have nothing left." Helga then licked her lips, trying to identify the flavor. "I've tasted this thing before but don't remember when… and my mouth starts to feel a little numb."

"Let me see the lipstick." Phoebe checked the tube and gulped, "Helga… your allergy."

Helga barely heard Phoebe's last words due her yell; Angelica heard it clearly and chuckled.

"Strawberry-flavored lipstick; expensive but it's worth every Curly's cent."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Helga missed first three periods due her staying at the infirmary pressing an ice bag against her lips the whole time after receiving an intramuscular shot. Of course the nurse suggested her to go home, but she didn't want to give Angelica that satisfaction.

"_How she knew I'm allergic to strawberries? Good thing it wasn't the natural thing or I would be as huge as a balloon."_ Helga growled while checking herself at a mirror, the lips still bright red but no longer as big as before. _"Only ones who know are Phoebe, Olga… and Miriam and Bob when their memories work… Brainy probably knows as well but I'm sure he didn't say a thing; I never told Rhonda or anyone else who may have told Pickles."_

Helga, of course, couldn't know that Curly, in his obsessive pursuit of Rhonda's affections, had studied all their classmates in case his beloved needed to be protected against one of them, or he could get closer to Rhonda through her friends and acquaintances, Helga included, and she also ignored he had told Angelica about an incident several years ago when Helga ate strawberry ice cream by accident, the boy being lucky enough back then to witness the whole thing.

"Dear, are you sure you don't want to go home?" The nurse asked Helga kindly, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, I'm fine; this was a minor attack, nothing more." Helga replied. _"And, besides the fact I don't feel like going home to see my mom drooling over the kitchen table, I have to prepare my revenge."_

Helga walked out of the infirmary and headed to her locker, remembering she still had a few stink bombs left there. The girl had five minutes to get the bombs and put them in Angelica's locker before the next period's bell rang.

"This time I'm using all of them, Pickles," Helga thought out loud, "If you thought a bomb was bad enough, wait to see what five can do; you'll stink as much as your attitude."

Helga opened the locker, ignoring she wasn't the only one with locksmith skills, and finding a nasty surprise in there.

"EEEEK!" Helga jumped back at the sight of the huge rat inside the locker; due her muriphobia (extreme fear of rats and mice), the girl panted and got a frightened look for a few moments until realizing the rat wasn't moving. Using every ounce of courage, Helga approached the locker to give a better look to the animal, frowning when realizing its eyes were crystal ones.

"A stuffed rat; oh, that girl is so dead! How she dares mess with my locker?" Helga growled while grabbing the rat with both hands, strangling the stuffed animal while imagining it was Angelica's throat. The blonde then threw the rat to the floor and proceeded to stomp it several times, what proved to be a big mistake a few seconds later.

**POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM! POOM!**

Everyone at that corridor's classrooms got a nauseated face, except Angelica, who, even if covering her nose like the others, got a sly grin.

"_Thanks for the little extra, Pataki; talking about a stuffed animal."_

Keeping those bombs in the locker wasn't Helga's smartest idea.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Helga missed lunch due her taking a long shower at the girls' dressing rooms. The bombs' incident was taken as what it really was; a prank from another student and, due Helga's antecedents, teachers and students knew the suspects' list was as big as the yellow pages.

"She's going to die. Slow and painfully, pleading for mercy… right after I make her tell me where she found that rat; it was very convincing." Helga growled while dressing back, a wicked smile forming on her lips. "We have P.E. now, and, knowing Wittenberg, she'll make us play dodge ball; Pickles will be a really good target. Oh, I so want to change those plastic features of hers; a few hits and she'll be as gross as yesterday's garbage."

Helga quickly put on her P.E. uniform, knowing her classmates would arrive soon; however, when they did it, Angelica wasn't among them.

"Hey, where's Pickles?" Helga asked Lila while the freckled girl changed her boots for sneakers.

"Oh, she's no longer taking the class with us, Helga." Lila explained. "She talked this morning with Mrs. Wittenberg, and convinced her to do another activity that will both cover for this class and provide an extra curricular activity."

"What? Where's that girl?"

"Working with Mr. Wittenberg and the boys," Lila replied while Helga got a half-shocked expression.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"COME ON, TURTLES, MOVE!" Angelica, wearing a gray coach uniform, yelled angrily at the football team as they ran laps around the field behind the school. "IT'S CALLED 'RUNNING', FOOLS, NOT DRAGGING YOUR HOOVES!"

The boys groaned yet made an extra effort; this girl was louder than any coach!

"Who died and made her queen?" Harold groaned, the boy sweat-soaked.

"I'm not taking orders from a girl!" A bulky, tough looking blond boy, Wolfgang, running behind Harold, complained out loud. "What are we, men or mice?"

"I HEARD THAT, VERMIN!" Angelica snapped at the large boy, "FROM NOW ON, ANY COMPLAIN LIKE THAT WILL MEAN TWO EXTRA LAPS!"

"The girl has good ears." Wolfgang's best friend, panting, said to him.

"Shut up, Ed." Wolfgang clenched his teeth and kept running. Meanwhile, Jack, Tish's husband and the football team's coach, approached the girl.

"I had my doubts, Pickles, but I must say, you know how to motivate the boys."

"It is teen psychology, Mister Wittenberg; no guy likes looking weak in front of a girl, and if that fails, I have very good lungs." Angelica replied smugly.

"Yeah, I noticed; well, the parents sometimes complain about us teachers yelling at the students, but I really doubt any of these guys will confess not standing a girl's insults." Jack chuckled. "Congratulations, Pickles; you're my new assistant coach."

Angelica smiled in triumph while looking back at the running boys; the girl had done this job before at her old school, with pretty good results. It only took a talk with Tish, and the teacher checking the girl's antecedents after that, to get a chance with Jack, who was extremely pleased with the little test. Now the blond girl wasn't just skipping P.E., which meant less sweating, and avoiding Helga in the one class the Pataki girl had a major advantage and several chances for revenge, but improving her grades doing something she enjoyed.

"Whoa, never thought I would say this, but that girl is as loud as Helga." Gerald, who was practicing some basketball shots with Arnold, commented at the scene occurring several yards away. Since he and Arnold weren't football players but basketball ones (in Arnold's case, it was the second best option since the school had no baseball team) they had their class with most of their old friends but Harold, who no longer had many classes with them anyway.

"Yes, I could hear her as well as if she was right next to us." Arnold pointed at his right ear. "And that worries me."

"What; that she might make us deaf?"

"No, how much she's like Helga." Arnold said before shooting a three-pointer.

"Nice one." Gerald complimented his pal. "Well, aside the fact they're both blondes and loud…"

"Gerald, I spent a lot of time with her yesterday; she's sarcastic, witty and smart, just like Helga, and you heard what happened today; I'm sure it was Angelica getting even on her."

"Well, Helga deserved it, dude. Admit it; she isn't exactly the picture of kindness."

"Or forgiveness; I hope this isn't the start of a pranks war. Someone can get hurt."

"And since Helga is involved, that someone may be you." Gerald sighed and shook his head while Arnold rolled his eyes yet said nothing, knowing there was a strong chance of it actually happening.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Helga was in perfect shape today." Sheena commented to Nadine as rubbing her shoulder.

"Tell me about it; she got me twice." The braided-hair girl replied as they entered the dressing room to get the soap and towels they needed for showering. Unfortunately for every girl at the gym but Phoebe, Helga vented her anger with them; the Pataki girl was extra aggressive during the dodge-ball game, her shots being particularly fast, accurate, and painful, emphasis on the last one. Despite this stress-relief therapy, Helga was still extremely upset.

"Helga, you must cool down; all that anger can't be healthy. Think about your blood pressure." Phoebe tried calming down her friend.

"I'm more like thinking about pressing Pickles; my idea involves heavy machinery." Helga growled as approaching her locker but froze before opening it, "Oh, no; she's not getting me this time."

Helga opened the lock but didn't open the door yet; instead, she moved aside and motioned Phoebe to do the same. They glanced at each other and then, in a fast move, Helga opened the door, preparing for any explosion or other nasty trick inside.

"There's no trap, Pheebs?" Helga asked the Asian, who, as carefully as her friend, got a look inside, gasping.

"Helga, there's nothing here!"

"Then why you…"

"That's the point! There's nothing here; your clothing is gone."

Helga gave a look at the locker and yelped; as Phoebe said, there was nothing inside. Luckily, she always carried her locket, so it wasn't lost, but the rest of her things had disappeared.

"That little thief; she stole everything!"

"Uh, Helga, look up," Rhonda, who, like the other girls, approached to take a look, pointed at the ceiling. Helga did it and gasped; all her clothing was right above her, glue-covered!

"How… she… could… I mean… CRIMINEY! Someone bring a ladder!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Angelica returned to yell at the boys after her 'water break', as she called it, a large grin on her face. Curly did his job well and hide the glue tubes and a little ladder behind a dumpster, as she requested, and the girl had more than enough time to open Helga's gym locker and do her stunt. Since it was last period, and the boys were training for their first game of the school year in a couple of weeks, their class would last a lot more than the girls', so Jack saw no problem when Angelica asked for a little break to refresh herself, knowing it was the girl's first day as assistant couch and she would stay as late as the team.

"OKAY, LOSERS, TO THE SHOWERS, ALL OF YOU! JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE A BUNCH OF APES DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO SMELL LIKE THEM! AND I EXPECT YOU DO BETTER NEXT TIME!" Angelica finished the training for the day, all the boys groaning and sighing in relief as they headed to the showers.

"If I could move my arms, I would hit that witch." Wolfgang groaned, commenting to nobody in particular.

"And you guys can thank Wolfgang for the ten extra laps you'll run next time." Angelica said in a soft yet firm tone, the players glaring at Wolfgang (something quite unusual since he was the toughest player) at her words.

"But… I thought it was just two extra laps!"

"Want to make them twelve, Gorilla Boy?" Angelica soft glared at Wolfgang, who simply clenched his teeth before leaving.

"Keep the good work, Pickles; I'll see you on Monday." Mister Wittenberg said to the girl before leaving as well; Angelica waved bye to him and went to the bleachers to grab her stuff. To avoid an encounter with Helga inside the school, she had her backpack ready so didn't need to go get any book from her locker, and, since she wasn't that sweaty, could shower at home.

Unfortunately for the Pickles girl, Helga hadn't left school grounds. Still on her uniform due most of her clothing being ruined, at least until Phoebe could fix the gluey mess, the Pataki girl couldn't remember last time she was that furious, and wanted nothing more than beating Angelica to a pulp. However, as she approached the football field, she got sight of a certain person waiting for someone to finish his shower, and that gave Helga another idea; it was risky, quite dangerous for her if getting caught, and the damage on Angelica would be greater than any prank; that last thought convinced Helga into doing it.

Angelica was about to leave when noticing a large person looking at the gym; she could only see the person's back, but, due the size and complexion, similar to Harold's, the blonde guessed it was a boy. Apparently he liked blue as much as Phoebe because was wearing a baby blue sweater and dark blue pants, a white cap covering a short brown hairdo.

"_Maybe he wants entering the team." _Angelica thought as approaching from behind, not noticing Helga hiding behind the same dumpster Curly placed the glue and the ladder just a couple of hours before, the Pataki girl grabbing a pebble and aiming at the large person. When Angelica was close enough, and before she could open her mouth, Helga threw the pebble, hitting her target, not hurting but causing it to move a few steps back in surprise, standing on Angelica's right foot.

"OUCH! Watch out, imbecile!" Angelica snapped.

"I'm sorry; didn't hear you behind me."

The blonde got a slightly surprised face when noticing the tough yet definitely feminine tone of the person who hurt her. She looked up at the person, realizing it was a girl; she had a unibrow, just like Helga, but her features were a lot rougher.

"Yeah, well, be more careful! You can hurt someone with those pachyderm feet of yours!"

"Are you calling me an elephant?" The large girl glared at Angelica.

"My, you know what 'pachyderm' means, uh? Guess I'm not the only one who watches documentaries; but I do it out of boredom, not to see my family." Angelica snapped, "And yes, I'm calling you an elephant, because that might be the only animal you can ride without breaking its spine."

"Cut it." The girl in blue made an effort to control herself. "I already apologized, so, please, leave; I'm waiting for my boyfriend."

"I think you got it wrong, Moody Blue Giant; none of the boys has a dog."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That anyone dating you must be blind."

The large girl clenched her fists, her face red in rage, while Angelica gave her a mocking smile and walked away. Helga left her hiding place at that moment, her voice making Angelica to stop and turn as her rival stood next to the other girl.

"Hey, Patty, are you allowing her to insult you and leave so quietly? You had beaten me for less than that!"

Angelica glared at Helga before finally giving a good look at the other girl's face; the blonde paled slightly when noticing her furious expression, and then realizing this Patty girl wasn't just bigger than most of the football players but also seemed quite tough.

"Tomorrow at the gym; three o' clock; better be there!" Patty snapped at Angelica before turning back and walking to the bleachers to wait for Harold, denting the dumpster with a sharp punch on her way there.

Angelica gulped at the girl's display of strength while Helga gave her a smug look after checking her watch.

"Just 23 hours, 27 minutes and 11 seconds to live, Pickles; enjoy them."


	5. Getting Physical

**- Getting Physical.**

"Angelica, let me tell you this as politely and stylishly as possible; girl, you're screwed." Rhonda groaned at the phone, Angelica the other side of the line.

"Hey, she should be more careful with those feet; the girl needs a 'Wide Load' sign."

"Angelica, listen, as much as I like pointing my classmates' fashion deficiencies and social mistakes, I'm asking you to not insult Patty. We may have no classes together but she's a good friend of mine."

"Okay, about that," Angelica sat at her bed, rubbing her temples, "how can you be friends with Queen Kong?"

"Believe it or not, Patty has exquisite manners and, despite her lack of fashion style, she is a good listener and, usually, a nice girl." Rhonda explained, "She even helped me pass an etiquette class a few years ago, and we had been friends since then; however, just like us, she has a reputation to care about. If you get on her nerves, she'll pound you, and I've seen her beating the school toughest guys and girls without breaking a sweat; she must be really angry if giving you the 'tomorrow at 3' warning instead of punching you at the spot. Last time she did this, the guy had to quit the football team and join the chess one because it's the only sport you can play without standing up."

"Well, if she wants to make me nervous or scared, congratulate her; it's working." Angelica sighed. "Look, if you two are that close, can convince her to not chew my skull tomorrow? I have no problems to apologize, and, since she's that feared, nobody will consider me a coward if doing it in public, so my reputation will be as safe as her own."

"Fine; I'll talk to her and also ask Lila to call her as well; Patty is her friend too. I'll tell you tomorrow at school."

"Thanks; have to go; see you." Angelica sighed and hung off the phone that rang again a moment later.

"Hello? Yes, I'm Angelica Pickles… yes I'm facing Patty Smith tomorrow; who is calling?" Angelica paled and gulped. "Uh… 'Hank Prosthetics and Medical Care Equipment'? No, I'm not interested in a wheelchair!" Angelica groaned and hung off, cleaning some cold sweat from her forehead.

"_That Pataki… if she hadn't appeared at that moment to tease the troglodyte__ against me; it wouldn't surprise me if she had planned the whole thing. I'm feeling as if filming 'Million Dollar Baby' but without the Oscars and the stunt doubles."_

Angelica, still moody, and considering to call back that Hank guy, decided to check her e-mails, reading Susie's half-interested, still worried about Patty's threat. However, her expression brightened when realizing who had sent her another mail.

"**Hi, Angelica. Susie told us you wouldn't mind if I mailed you. So… I don't have many news to tell you, except that ****things are a little dull around here; not to mention extremely silent for my taste. The most interesting thing that had happened lately was my weekly accident; this one involved hot coffee and a plant pot; funny thing, I missed you laughing at me; guess knowing my clumsiness made someone happy eases the pain and the social ridicule. I have to go now; take care, and, if you have time and doesn't mess with your schedule, please, reply this. Thanks. P.S. I miss you, Angie."**

Angelica chuckled silently at the mail, surprised at how well she felt after reading it, except for the weird feeling in her stomach when reading the last words. The girl forgot about Patty and whatever surgery she would need if Rhonda and Lila couldn't save her, and started writing.

"**Good to see even my absence doesn't affect your geek-ness, Finster…"**

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Seven hours, five minutes and twenty five seconds, Pickles." Helga passed next to Angelica, humming the Funeral March, while the shorter blonde placed a book inside her locker.

"Good to see you found your vocation, Pataki; WATCH dog!" Angelica groaned, Helga frowned at her but her mocking grin returned almost immediately as she left to her classroom, still humming the tune.

Angelica sighed and rubbed her temples; Helga's reminder succeeded in making her even more nervous; since the moment Angelica arrived school practically everyone had given her a pitiful or sad look, and a few alumni even sobbed a little bit; Eugene even called that morning to give her the number of the blood bank Angelica felt some tiny relief when Lila approached her but it was short lived when noticing the redhead's uneasy look.

"So, you talked with your friend?" Angelica grabbed the freckled girl by the shoulders, shaking her a little bit.

"Yes, and she wasn't very happy, Angelica."

"Statement of the year," the blonde groaned. "Just tell me she'll retire to her cave and hibernate early this year."

"Well, no, but she agreed on talking to you today at the library; our free period is the same as hers."

"As long as she only wants to talk and not biting me," Angelica sighed.

"Uh, Angelica, maybe you should be careful about the way you express about Patty," Lila suggested, "She is quite sensitive."

"Good; so my face," Angelica looked down and nodded. "Okay, Lila, I'll watch my tongue so she doesn't pull it out."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Angelica had to admit Patty, despite her size, was actually quite good at hiding; they found a secluded spot at the library where they could talk without interruption, the Math section; once Phoebe left that place, nobody was around, a major relief for the blonde who couldn't stand another 'Dead Girl Walking' comment. Angelica loved attention but not this kind; many guys had given her flowers that day, and lots of alumni, even from other grades, had expressed their condolences and a few ones even promised to visit her at the hospital. The worst was when the cafeteria staff gave her lunch for free in case it was the blonde's last solid meal in a while (or her last meal, period) and Eugene gave her more phone numbers, these being of several therapists, physicians, dentists and nurses; if she couldn't settle down this problem with Patty now, Angelica was sure she would need them.

"Well, start talking." Patty folded her arms, a stern look on her face.

"Look, I know I owe you an apology; but you have to understand, you stood on my foot, and I was still in my coaching mood," Angelica cut her rant, "anyway, I just want to say I'm sorry, and the way I treated you was quite stupid and mean from me. If it makes you feel better, I'll offer you a public apology, even if it degrades me a little bit; better my social rank than my head."

"If you had done it yesterday, I would have accepted that apology without any problem," Patty sighed. "Unfortunately, Helga already told everyone, and is making a lot of noise about this; if I don't beat you, everyone will start insulting and mocking me… girls like your truly are an easy target, you know… ugly, big, dumb looking; I've received more insults than you can imagine."

"I have a good imagination." Angelica sighed. "What about, you know, pretending you already beat me? I'm good with make up; a few bruises here and there, a blackened eye… I even brought an old shirt I wouldn't care if gets ripped."

Angelica got surprised when Patty chuckled a little bit.

"I did that stunt when I was 9; you know Arnold, right?" Patty paused a moment as Angelica nodded. "Well, he convinced me to spare a girl, and I came with that very same plan, except the make-up part; some dirt, ripping her clothing, and making a lot of noise at old school gym while everyone was outside, combined with a good acting from her, and everyone bought it; funny thing, the girl was Helga."

"Really?" Angelica wide opened her eyes in surprise.

"Yes… and that's the reason I can't do it again; it was good to fool a bunch of fourth and fifth graders, but Junior High people, I don't think so. They'll insist on watching the whole thing."

"In other words, we're both sorry, but you're going all Mike Tyson on me." Angelica gulped but then, in a sudden, her sly grin appeared, "Unless my inner Don King has something to say about that."

"Uh?" Patty gave her a confused look.

"I'll see you at the janitor closet in five minutes; if this works, we'll save our reputations and my teeth at the same time." Angelica said before leaving; Patty shrugged and waited for a couple of minutes before leaving the library.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Five minutes and counting," Helga's sing-song tone made Angelica to cringe as the taller blonde and her Asian friend left the room, taking advantage the teacher had to leave before the final bell. The Pickles girl no longer used the purple shirt and blue skirt combination she wore when arriving at school but an old black shirt, blue jeans, and some old-fashioned and kind of wasted sneakers, her earrings gone for the moment as well as most of her bracelets but a bright red one on each wrist.

"Are you sure it's safe, Angelica?" Lila whispered at Angelica, the freckled girl visible worried.

"Yes, I have my doubts." Rhonda pointed, she, just like the popular crew and Nadine knowing about the improvised plan.

"It will be like riding a wild bull." Peapod added. "Domesticated or not, it's still a bull."

"Friend, you're not helping." Lorenzo said to his pal as Nadine got a thoughtful expression.

"Maybe we can sneak you out of school." The braided-hair girl suggested.

"And then, Patty would need to ambush me tomorrow morning." Angelica said, "I wish this plan was better thought, and had some time to get ready, but I do my best thinking under pressure, and this is a major one. It's not everyday that I get flowers and condolences from half the school."

A few moments later, the last bell rang and Angelica and the popular crew started their way to the gym, several students following them.

"Guess we'll need another assistant coach quite soon." Wolfgang laughed.

"Yes, you're right; the girl is so done." Ed chuckled stupidly.

"Shut up… oh, who cares, keep laughing." Wolfgang grinned widely at the idea of Angelica getting a severe beating. A few steps back, a short guy on formal clothing, Big Gino, with two large boys escorting him, was arranging the bets.

"Okay, is anybody betting on Angelica winning?" A random boy asked Gino.

"No; we're betting on how much she'll last; odds are 2 to 1 at her kissing the floor in less than one minute." Gino explained as counting the cash.

"This is bad, Gerald," Arnold groaned, "I wanted to talk to Patty and try convincing her to drop the whole issue, but couldn't find her today."

"Arnold, that's the bad part about being a do-gooder like you; sometimes, you can't fix things no matter what." Gerald said as shaking his head.

"Too bad; Angelica was pretty." Sid commented at Stinky as they, like many others, entered the gym. The blonde was already at the center of the building, Rhonda and company around her, looking at everyone getting a place at the bleachers.

"Don't these guys have better things to do than watching a bloody show? This is no Roman circus." Rhonda groaned silently.

"Thanks for the mental image, Rhonda." Angelica replied before giving a fast look around. Arnold was there, visibly concerned, and Helga was sitting the opposite side of the gym, giving Angelica a smooth look that changed to a slightly angry one when she looked at Arnold.

"_Arnold worries about her; another reason to get beaten, Barbie," _Helga growled. "Finally, she'll learn her lesson, Pheebs."

"Helga, I must object; this plan is barbaric! To put it mildly, Patty will cream Angelica!" Phoebe gulped, visibly upset and feeling a little guilty due her participation on the previous pranks.

"Don't worry, Phoebe; Patty isn't that bad; she'll finish this so fast Pickles will be unconscious before getting a permanent damage… of course, I can be wrong." Helga grinned at the last part, making Phoebe even more uncomfortable.

Patty arrived at that moment, Harold next to her, and walked opposite to Angelica; some of them noticed she was using black biker gloves, something not really common on her.

"Guess she wants to protect her knuckles when crushing Pickles." Wolfgang commented at Ed while looking at the blonde nodding at her companions, who dashed out of harm's way, while she approached the building's center, Patty doing the same and people around becoming silent in expectation.

"Before anything happens, I have to make an announcement." Angelica raised her voice so everyone could hear her. "I, Angelica Charlotte Pickles, publicly apologize for offending Patty Smith, and promise to never doing it again."

Everyone's eyes fell on Patty, who motioned Harold to move to the bleachers among with the others, and gave Angelica a stern look.

"And I accept the apology, but in order to teach you some respect, I'll beat you a little so you'll never forget that promise." Patty cracked her knuckles and Angelica moved a few steps back.

"Here comes the carnage." Helga smirked as Patty drew back her right fist.

To everyone's surprise, Angelica didn't try to avoid the hit, but blocked it with her left wrist before delivering a sharp punch with the right one. Patty wasn't really hurt by the attack but got a furious look, and charged at the blonde, who stepped aside at the last moment and, when Patty threw another punch, dashed behind the large girl, momentarily safe from her hits.

"Whoa; Angelica has some moves." Sid commented to nobody in particular as everyone at the gym got a surprised expression, especially Helga, and, a moment later, everyone was either cheering at Angelica or encouraging Patty; of course, Helga was the main voice doing the latter.

"Come on, Patty, get the fool!" Helga shouted in anger and frustration. "Criminey, that girl is dancing around her!"

As Helga said, the thing looked like a fast, violent dance; Angelica kept herself behind or aside Patty at all times, avoiding any attempt to catch or hit her, and, when Patty handled to face her opponent, the blonde avoided or blocked all her punches; curiously, when Angelica attempted to punch back, Patty did the same, so received practically no damage from the shorter girl.

"I can't believe it." Helga thought out loud, shocked. "It's like if Pickles could guess Patty's moves and otherwise!"

Arnold looked the match in silence for almost a minute before realization hit him.

"Karate."

"What did you say, Arnold?" Gerald turned slightly, not wanting to miss the action.

"The moves Angelica is using are basic karate ones… that and some dancing, but yeah, I'm sure."

Gerald then remembered Arnold's grandmother was a karate black belt, and Arnold knew a move or two as well, even if normally avoiding fighting at all. The Afro-American boy looked back at the fight, and, like many others around her, suddenly found him self doubtful about who will support; Patty was the obvious choice, but Angelica was doing a very decent job and even seemed to have a minor advantage at times.

Patty, now more used to Angelica's speed, no longer had the blonde at her back all the time, and could send and block more punches, the shorter girl still blocking most but receiving a few good blows, mostly at her shoulders and chest; Angelica replied with some well connected karate chops and punches, but due Patty's endurance and some good blocking of her own the large girl resisted quite well. The Pickles girl then surprised everyone throwing herself at Patty's legs, embracing them tightly, making her opponent to fall down, Patty using her arms and hands to minimize the impact. Angelica kept embracing Patty's legs and feet until she delivered a good hit at the blonde's side, making her release her prey and roll to stand up as fast as possible. Patty attempted to stand up as well but tripped; she tried doing it again with the same results while Angelica panted, catching her breath back.

"What's wrong with Patty?" Sid's question was answered by Stinky, who stood up on his place and pointed down at the fighters.

"Angelica tied Big Patty's shoelaces!"

On a closer look, everyone realized Stinky was right; while hugging Patty's legs and feet, Angelica tied both her shoes' laces together, the knot incredibly tight, especially considering she did it in a hurry, and now Patty had problems to stand up.

The blonde took this chance to kick Patty's sides, the larger girl embracing her torso and abdomen to prevent a serious damage; then, when Angelica tried delivering another kick, Patty caught her foot and twisted her ankle, the blonde falling on her butt a moment later; the large girl used this chance to get rid of her shoes and stand up, trying to stomp on Angelica, but she stood up quickly and they went back to fighting; now, while Angelica was doing her best to block Patty's punches, her opponent had to watch for the blonde's shoes, Angelica trying to stomp or kick the now unprotected feet.

"Oh, rats; we're losing money!" Gino complained; the fight had lasted more than three minutes, meaning his own bet was as good as gone.

Patty noticed Angelica was getting tired again, and made a fast move; instead of trying to punch her, Patty pushed the blonde, her superior weight and strength making her to fall back; Angelica rolled to protect from a more serious hit but got himself caught by Patty's arms, who then forced Angelica to stand up while keeping her on a headlock. The blonde struggled to escape but Patty didn't release her, holding Angelica like this for more than a minute, some people at the crowd cheering for her and others yelling to Angelica to get free, until Patty dropped the blonde, who fell totally limp and stayed completely immobile. Everyone kept silence, guessing that Patty had probably choked the blonde to death, especially by the way the large girl stood over the fallen girl like some sort of animal after catching its prey, until Angelica moved again, rubbing her neck and gasping.

"Enough?" Patty growled at the panting blonde, who looked up at her and nodded. Patty nodded back and offered her hand to Angelica, who accepted it and slowly stood up, almost everyone at the gym clapping wildly except for some guys like Gino, who lost a lot of cash, and some other people that wanted to see Angelica beaten, especially Helga.

"That's it? No broken bones, inner bleeding or high dentistry bills?" Helga snapped while Phoebe sighed in relief and, unknown to everyone, Patty and Angelica talked in a whisper.

"Can't believe this worked, Angelica," Patty said as discretely as possible.

"I can't believe I still have my head attached to the body either." Angelica replied the same way.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**FLASHBACK.**

"What are the bandages for?" Patty, she and Angelica inside the closet, asked the blonde as she took out a bandage roll.

"I'm using an ointment because of my rash, so I cover my torso with this so my clothing doesn't get ruined with the medicine." Angelica explained. "Also, if I use a few extra layers under my shirt it will give me some protection against your hits; I have an extra roll so you can use under your sweater as well and I don't hurt you when fighting back."

"Okay, so I have to avoid hitting your face and focus on the body." Patty reasoned. "But still, this isn't going to protect you a lot."

"I have that one covered too; my grandpa used to be an amateur wrestler when younger, and I grew up watching TV wrestling with him… not too often, and I always wanted to change channel, but learned a little from it, especially how to take a fall. Plus, I took karate lessons for a while before losing interest, but I got my yellow belt; enough for fighting someone my size and, I hope, to defend from someone bigger if you hold back your punches at least a little." Angelica said as showing her bracelets to Patty.

"Now, during the fight, don't lose sight of my hands; these bracelets will help you with that. If you see me making a fist, it means I'm going to punch with that hand, and, if you see me opening my hand, it means I'm ready to block. We need something for you to wear so I can guess your moves too."

"I'm not fond on accessories and everybody would find that weird on me." Patty rubbed her chin. "I have a pair of gloves I use to protect my hands when playing arm-wrestling; that may work."

"Good, use them. Now, we must discuss some moves I may use, and you think about a finishing one, something to end the fight; it has to look real but not hurting me that much. We don't have much time, and I'm surely getting a few hits for real, but it's better than the other option, especially for yours truly."

Patty nodded and the pair started discussing the moves while practicing some basic ones.

**END FLASHBACK.**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Both Angelica and Patty were pleased with the result; the big girl had saved her reputation as the school's toughest and strongest girl, and the blonde, except for some bruises she could easily cover with her make-up, was mostly unharmed and got a major reputation boost as the one person who could stand a fight with Patty Smith. The popular guys were now around Angelica, checking her injuries, while Harold was giving Patty a major bear hug after picking up her shoes, and the crowd was surrounding the girls, congratulating them, especially the one who faced a much bigger opponent.

"I have to say that was the most impressive thing I've seen since one of my uncles caught a porcupine with his bare hands; he's now known as 'Seven Fingers' Peterson." Stinky commented at Angelica, who was getting knowing looks from Rhonda, Nadine and Lila, the freckled girl leaving a moment later to go with Patty, giving her a knowing look as well.

"_As much as I object to__ lying and violence, I must admit it was interesting."_ Lila thought as smiling at Patty, the massive teen grinning back at her.

"**CRIMINEY, ARE ****ALL OF YOU BLIND OR WHAT?"**

Everyone looked back at Helga, who was advancing towards Angelica, a murderous glare on her eyes.

"Come on Helga; don't be jealous just because Angelica lasted more with Patty than you ever did." Sid's smooth look disappeared when Helga scowled at him.

"Shut up or I'll make you swallow the cucumber you call a nose, moron!" Helga then turned back her attention to Angelica. "What was that? This wasn't a real fight; it was more staged than a Shakespeare's play!"

"Oh, yeah, Pataki, two girls pretending to fight just to save their reputations," Angelica rolled her eyes before giving Helga a knowing look, "How old do you think we are; nine?"

Helga froze at Angelica's words, realizing Patty have told her about that incident; Helga also kicked herself mentally for forgetting Patty's friendship with Lila and Rhonda, who surely interceded for Angelica just like Arnold once did for her.

"Helga, please, that's enough; why don't you two make peace?" Arnold placed a hand on Helga's shoulder, the girl melting on the inside but reacted her usual bully way after a few seconds.

"Stay out of this, Football Head! This freak tricked you like with everyone else! I can see through you and your true nature, Pickles!" Helga growled at Angelica, who separated from the popular crew and glared back at the taller blonde.

"And I can see through you, Pataki, literally; start eating, girl! You're skin and bones!"

"And surely you know a lot about food, with that mouth of yours; it looks suited for grain and little rodents!"

Everyone moved a few steps back, forming a circle around the blondes.

"You're the one to talk, Sewer Breath!"

"At least I don't bath myself in that junk you call a perfume. What's its name; Skunk Rubbish?" Helga waved a hand in front of her nose for emphasis.

"It's called 'Soap'; use it sometime."

"Forget about your fists; that mouth of yours is more dangerous than a shark's, and you have the temper to match!"

"And you have the legs to match a broom's stick!"

"Oh, you like my legs? How about if I use them to kick you where sun doesn't shine?"

"That would be your bedroom, right? You obviously dress in darkness, Pinky."

"Watch out, or I'll give you a taste of Old Betsy!" Helga shoved her fist in front of Angelica's face.

"Oh, you named it… and how do you call the centipede over your eyes; Mister Fuzzy?" Angelica pointed at Helga's unibrow, the Pataki girl scowling even more at the comment.

"Gerald, maybe we should stop them." Arnold whispered at his friend.

"Stopping them? Arnold, we should be selling tickets!" Gerald replied, ignoring Arnold's mild glare, and the fact Gino liked the idea and was already accepting bets as the insults' exchange continued.

"You're so ugly I can put a tracing paper on your head and draw an elk face!" Angelica snapped at Helga, who replied immediately.

"You're so sour that if licking a lemon, the lemon is the one making faces!"

"If you get a neuron it dies in loneliness!"

"Well, the day you die and doctors make the autopsy they'll freak out when checking your head!"

"Why; they're finding nothing? Please, that's the lamest insult ever." Angelica folded her arms while Helga smirked.

"No, they'll find something… and think you died on diarrhea!"

"God, you can't get grosser!"

"You don't know me that well."

"No, thanks, I have no interest on anemic giraffes."

"And I have no interest on real life Barbies!"

"No, you're more interested in your nose's contents!"

"The train out of town is leaving in an hour; why don't you stand on the railroad?"

"And why don't you jump off a building face first… oh, wait, you already did it!"

"Criminey, you're more annoying than a mosquitoes' swarm!"

"And you're uglier than sin and more disgusting than blasphemy!"

"So now the hellhound is getting religious?"

"Maybe, because I need holy water and a cross just to be near you!"

"I'll disguise as an idiot next Halloween; can I use your face?"

"Sure, if you give me your to prove there are aliens among us!"

"Well, if I'm an alien then you're a lioness; the Queen of Beasts!"

"Then why you're not worshiping me, baboon?"

"Dyed blonde!"

"Natural idiot!"

"Keep talking, Pickles; it makes your teeth an easier target!" Helga growled while clenching her fists.

"You can't hit me if I rip your arm off!" Angelica growled back, clenching her fists as well. The blondes glared intensely at each other, tension so thick it could be cut with a knife if someone was stupid enough to have such a sharp tool close enough to the girls.

"Okay, that's it!" Arnold entered the circle, knowing the girls were now forgetting about the insults and getting more physical while Gerald whispered something in a barely audible tone.

"Arnold, you're a bold teen… and a suicide."

Helga and Angelica made a fast plan each while sizing the opponent's capacities; the newcomer had no idea of how strong Helga really was, but, according to everyone's comments, she was the school's strongest girl except for Patty, and Angelica was already sore due the fight; Helga, on the other hand, even if she was sure the battle was staged, had to admit Angelica was, at least, moderately strong to face Patty for that long; therefore, both girls knew what they had to do… dirty fighting.

"Both of you stop this now!" Arnold jumped between the girls, the boy already taking a defensive stance just in case.

What happened next was so fast nobody could stop it and yet slow enough so everyone noticed each and every detail. Angelica and Helga, not even registering Arnold's presence, threw a right punch each, the boy using his own karate training to block both attacks, showing his back to Angelica since thinking Helga would deliver the strongest blow and therefore needed more attention, but, unknown to him, both girls had the same idea; using a fake, low powered attack while preparing a harder one. A split second later, Angelica threw her strongest kick while Old Betsy got into action, Arnold still in the middle.

**WHACK!**

**POW!**

Everyone froze and gasped at the scene, Angelica and Helga the most; Arnold was now on the floor, on an almost fetal position due Angelica literally kicking his butt plus giving a significant hit to an even more sensitive area, and one of his hands covering the bruised cheek result of the punch that made him see stars and hear bells, the boy so stunned and breathless he couldn't even whine or groan.

After a couple of seconds, everyone reacted; Gerald, among with Sid, Peapod and Stinky moved to help Arnold stand up, while Harold, Rhonda, Lila, Lorenzo, Iggy and even Curly motioned people aside so their friend could be taken to the infirmary; luckily, the nurse had the habit of staying a little while after the last bell, so she would attend the boy; Eugene and his girlfriend, Sheena, who due his personal experiences always carried a first aids kit, took out a cotton ball and put some alcohol on it for Arnold to sniff it and keep conscience, while Phoebe pulled an extremely shocked Helga out of the way and an already recovered Angelica followed the boys carrying Arnold away.

"Why you had to do that, Arnold? That kick wasn't for you!" Angelica tried to sound severe but it was obvious she was concerned as well.

"Arnold hates when two of his friends fight, girl!" Lorenzo quickly explained. "That's the only reason anyone would go crazy enough to try getting in the middle of you two!"

Gino stood on his place, a large grin on his face, and whispered at his goons.

"Keep an eye on these girls; we may have a good business here."

"Helga… Helga, please react; it's me, Phoebe!" The Asian girl shook her friend, trying to wake her from her frozen state, the rest of the people already leaving the gym. After a few minutes, Helga finally muttered some words.

"I hurt him. I really hurt him. I punched Arnold."

"Come on, I'll take you home; don't worry, I'll call Gerald later for details. I'm sure Arnold will be okay." Phoebe said gently while practically dragging out of the place, the blonde in a sleepwalker kind of state the whole time.


	6. Dinning With The Enemy

**- Dining With The Enemy.**

"… **and that's what happened. Luckily, it seems Arnold will be fine; guess I'm stronger than I thought. Well, have to go now. Take care; with all the accidents you have, you really need to. Bye, Finster."**

Angelica sighed, this little message and the one she sent to Susie previously helping her feel a little better. The blonde turned off her laptop and lifted her shirt a little bit, looking at her bruises reflected on the room's mirror; despite the protection, Patty was as strong as everyone said.

"I hope a good warm shower helps me; otherwise, I'm going to be really sore for several days." Angelica commented to her cat that yawned while giving her a half-amused look. "But my plan really saved my neck today; everything could have gone well if it wasn't for that Pataki."

Angelica groaned at the memory; Helga wasn't just as tricky and loud as her, but ruder and far tougher. What angered Angelica the most was the fact she actually started considering Arnold a friend, and he got injured because of Helga.

"Angelica, sweetie, are you done with your homework?" Drew knocked his daughter's door.

"Uh… I'll do it after dinner, Dad." The blonde replied while covering her bruises in case her father entered the room.

"Better do it now, and then shower and dress nicely; we're having dinner at a restaurant."

"Okay, Dad." Angelica smiled while checking her closet for some nice clothing; after choosing an outfit and calling Lila, telling her she was still a little shocked due the day's events and therefore couldn't do her homework, meaning she would need to copy Lila's the next day (something that, of course, the freckled girl agreed with), the blonde entered the bathroom to get ready.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So… he'll be fine, right? No permanent damage or anything like that?" Helga sighed in relief due Phoebe informing her via phone about Arnold's state. "Thanks, Pheebs; now I can breathe again… and thanks again for bringing me home. See you tomorrow; bye."

Helga hung off the phone and petted Zilla, the huge lizard resting on her bed alongside his owner. Helga was a lot more calmed now but still felt terribly angry with herself; she had been so shocked after the incident at the gym Phoebe had to take her home and, when cold water didn't work, slapped her a couple of times (not too hard but still strong enough to leave a minor blush on Helga's cheeks) to finally make her overcome the shock. After the Asian left the blonde had stayed next to the phone to whole time waiting for news about Arnold's condition.

The girl sighed and went inside her closet, moving aside a curtain hiding the testimony of her secret love; a little home made statue, resembling a football headed boy, and several boxes with notebooks in them, all the pages filled with poetry inspired by Helga's obsession. The blonde kneeled in front of the shrine, her face filled with sorrow and regret.

"Oh, Arnold… will you ever forgive my horrendous sacrilege? All these years, hiding my love behind the bully's mask and expressing my undying affection through my childish insults and pranks, yet never daring to cause you a real direct damage through my violent tendencies… and now, a mere distraction, a single second I allowed my rage clouding my reasoning, and you're in pain because of me! How can I expect you to finally see through my tortured soul that starves for your care and attention, and lives just to adore the ground you walk over, now that I've injured the lovable, handsome features that adorn your wise football head? How I could use my vengeful fist against the one who makes my life worth living?"

"Angelica…" Helga's expression changed to one of pure hate. "She's the one who caused this! Her intervention in our happiness, messing with our lives, and daring to steal your attention from me; she, who you, knowing about my rage episodes, attempted to protect and paid you by hurting such a… sacred part of your magnificent anatomy!" Helga wide opened her eyes at the last part and gulped. "Not to mention she probably ruined my dreams of having your children someday."

Helga, after bowing respectfully at the shrine, exited the closet, fuming. Of all girls she had ever known, Angelica was, by far, the worst; Ruth, Arnold's first crush, never really paid attention to him, and that infatuation was short lived; Rhonda was annoying and snobbish but she never got any interest on Arnold, and sometimes she and Helga could get to an understanding and hang around as normal classmates; Summer was a greedy, lying witch, but not very smart, her real nature soon revealed and Arnold's feelings for her disappearing immediately; and Lila, well, Miss Perfect was painfully sweet, but that same sweetness and kindness prevented her from even considering having a relationship with Arnold beyond friendship, the girl knowing about Helga's feelings and respecting them. But Pickles was a different story; cunning, tricky, and mischievous as Helga herself, plus having good looks and ways to get other people to trust and like her.

"She's a demon; a demon whose only purpose is tormenting me!" Helga practically roared, her rant cut by Big Bob knocking (more like, pounding) the door.

"Hey, Olga, are you at home?"

"No Bob, because Olga isn't here but HELGA, remember?" The blonde groaned, not really on the mood to stand her father right now. "_At least he had the common sense to knock this time."_

"Yeah, whatever; listen, I need you to get more or less presentable and come out with me."

"Why; the house is on fire?" Helga retorted as opening the door.

"No, we're having dinner at a restaurant; it's very important for you to come, especially since your mother is unconscious at the couch and I can't wake her up." Bob told his daughter, "We're leaving in an hour."

Helga growled softly yet said nothing; she didn't need this, but the girl had barely eaten that day, and if Bob, for whatever reason, was spending some extra bucks on feeding her more than half-decently, she wasn't objecting.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Your table is ready, Mister Lloyd." The waiter addressed Rhonda's father, leading the family through the restaurant a moment later; Rhonda was wearing a stylish blue and red dress, with white gloves and a pearls necklace to combine; Brooke, her mother, was using a simple yet elegant black dress with a similar necklace, and Buckley, her father, a gray formal suit.

"Want to order now, Mister Lloyd, or you'll wait for the rest of your group?" The waiter asked while he and one of his companions offered the seats to the family. Unlike other times the Lloyds had eaten here, they were sitting at a bigger table, fitted for a moderately large group.

"We'll wait, Perkins; thanks. On the meantime, just water, please." Buckley replied in his usual refined accent. The waiter nodded and retired.

"You'll like these persons, dear." Buckley directed to both Rhonda and Brooke. "They have invited me as a major associate for their new company, and they have a daughter your age, Rhonda; they're bringing her today, so you'll have someone to talk with. I know how much these business dinners can bore youngsters."

"How nice, Dad." Rhonda replied with a little smile. "Hope she'll be as educated as me."

"She'll be, honey, she'll be." Brooke commented before turning at her husband. "However, dear, I'm not that sure if you should associate with that…other person that's coming as well."

"Certainly, Brooke, his manners and disposition are a little… primitive, but he is a hard worker and, generally speaking, not a bad business man. He's the kind of person we can trust to encourage and keep an eye on the workers while leaving the most delicate operations to someone more diplomatic."

Rhonda heard her parents' conversation half-amusedly; she liked formal dinners when it was just she and her parents, but business ones weren't exactly likable most of the time, as Rhonda normally had nothing to do but eating, not having a decent conversation and only talking once in a while when the guests directed to her. The girl hoped her father's new associate was a refined person or, at least, an interesting acquaintance; even Rhonda could get tired of people who were even more snobbish and classicist than her.

"I see they have arrived; good thing they're punctual." Buckley commented; their current table was pretty well located and allowed a good general view of the restaurant. Rhonda turned at the entrance and, for a moment, lost her posture as her jaw fell.

A large man on a semi-formal green outfit, followed by a blonde teen on a pink dress, had arrived the place the same moment as a couple, a blond woman on a blue dress and a medium-sized man with moustache and glasses, him wearing black clothing, accompanied by a slightly shorter girl, blonde as well, wearing a nice red dress. Both girls froze on their tracks when recognizing each other.

At her seat, Rhonda looked behind her, spotting the restaurant's clock, a thought forming on her mind.

"_Six twenty p.m.; my life is SO over."_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Here, Kimba; this jungle concoction will strength you back." Gertie, in her jungle explorer's mood, handled Arnold a soup bowl, just slightly warm, since her grandchild couldn't stand very hot liquids at the time, yet quite large, because he couldn't eat anything solid as well.

"Thanks, Grandma," Arnold replied, his voice softer than usual due the numbness in his jaw; his bruised cheek was almost twice its regular size. He couldn't decide what was worst; not being able to eat normally, or having to use a pillow to sit at the table.

"So… how are you feeling, Arnold?" Mister Hyun asked him, obviously concerned yet trying to avoid being so direct with his question; unfortunately, Oskar wasn't that tactful.

"Yes, since you returned from school had been walking like Mrs. Vitello after her hemorrhoids' surgery."

"Oskar…" Suzie groaned while counting to ten and the other persons at the table soft glared at her husband.

"Oh, cut that, Kokoshka! The boy had a bad day." Ernie said before taking some bread and pepper to make his soup more or less edible.

"Still, I admit I'm a little worried, Short Man." Phil said to his grandson. "I wouldn't like to go that great boarding house in Heaven knowing my blood line dies with you."

"Yes, we want some grandchildren." Gertie said as sitting at the table.

"Pookie, he's our grandchild."

"Oh… no problem, then," the woman shrugged as starting to eat herself, "What an awful soup; I demand to talk with the chef!"

"Maybe later, Pookie," Phil rolled his eyes and turned back at Arnold, "Now, about that problem…"

"Seriously, Grandpa, I'm fine… well, not exactly fine, but I'm sure this isn't as bad as it seems." Arnold tried to smile, "I'm sure I'll be okay in a couple of days."

"Still, if any of those girls become a professional boxer or wrestler when growing up, tell me; I smell a sure bet." Oskar chuckled; Ernie was about to argue that but got a thoughtful expression.

"You know, Kokoshka, that doesn't sound as stupid as you usually do."

"I have to agree on that; guess Helga is both bark and bite when threatening us with that fist of her." Arnold rubbed his cheek, "And Angelica should enter the team instead of coaching it; with that kick she has, we would win any game quite easily."

Actually, despite the major physical pain he still felt, what bothered the boy the most was the fact Helga had punched him. True, she had hit him in the past with spitballs, snowballs, soccer balls and mud balls; she had slapped the back of his head, punched his arms, and even used the classic boxing-glove-in-a-spring prank once; however, she had never attempted to cause him a real damage, even by accident, especially so direct and painfully. Even if Angelica's kick was what hurt his body the most (which was saying a lot, since the punch was quite hard as well), the main shock, the reason he almost fainted after receiving the attacks, was knowing he had been in the receiving end of Old Betsy, the infamous fist property of the girl he had shared an uneasy yet close relationship most of his life. Of course, Arnold wouldn't tell that to Helga just like that; he didn't want to make her feel guilty.

"Well, Arnold, I just hope those girls settle down their differences in a peaceful way, or, at least, that next time you'll be careful enough to not getting between two angry females." Phil chuckled. "Last time I did it ended at the hospital with a fractured rib."

"Oh, and I'm still very sorry about that, Handsome," Gertie said to her husband in an unusually sweet tone, Phil smiling back at her.

"Yes, next time, get a Kevlar outfit or, at least, a shell for you-know-what." Mister Hyun said to the blonde boy, who nodded at everyone before getting back to his soup.

"Don't worry; if this happens again, I'll be more cautious; and I really hope Helga and Angelica could sit together and discuss their problems without beating each other."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Rhonda, can you be a dear and tell that THING to pass me the pepper?"

"Princess, can you tell that SPAWN to come and get it?"

"Well, at least I didn't ask for salt; I know the effect it has on you SLUGS."

Rhonda gulped silently and grabbed the pepper, handling it to Angelica, the two blondes still glaring at each other. Luckily, they had enough common sense to not strangling each other in their parents' presence and keeping a low voice, but that was all the courtesy they had shown so far; the adults decided the girls should sit together one side of the table so they could have their own conversation while they talked business during dinner. Rhonda was particularly nervous since she sat between Angelica and Helga, this being the only idea she could think to avoid them starting a fight, but the memory of what happened to Arnold earlier that day wasn't exactly tranquilizing for the brunette, especially since both blondes were now using meat knives.

"Sorry your wife couldn't come, Mister Pataki." Drew, oblivious to his daughter's intention of stabbing a classmate, addressed Bob, who paused his eating for a moment.

"Ah, call me Bob; and don't worry; Miriam works all day at home and sometimes ends quite tired." The large man replied, "I'm thinking about hiring a maid, but it's hard to get a trustworthy one these days; last one tried to steal my special belt."

"I understand, Mister… I mean, Bob," Brooke added. "We always ask for at least five references before hiring anyone, especially if he or she will have access to our values."

"Anyway, back to business, I think we can all go to the construction site tomorrow," Charlotte looked at Bob. "I guess you're the best to keep an eye on them and try to hurry up the whole thing."

"Yes, the faster we have the building, the faster we start making money." Bob agreed. "Just want to re-check the contract; no offense, but I've had bad experiences with corporations."

"Certainly, it's a reasonable request, Bob." Buckley said. "After the fusion, you will keep control of 70 percent of your own company, just in case you later want to separate, as long as fulfilling your part of the contract, and will receive 10 percent of the company's profits concerning our other investments; I'll get 25 percent of the total profits, since I'm the main local investor, and the Pickles here will receive other 25 percent; the remaining profits will be invested in improvements and other assorted stuff. Of course, since Charlotte, Drew and my self will still use our contacts to get new investors, we'll later have to make some adjustments both the main clauses will remain unchanged."

"Fine with me; I just want to be present whenever dealing with a large sum of cash so we can all get our part." Bob cleared; as much as he disliked losing some of his independence, if this deal made him a rich man he was more than eager to make an exception. The adults were pleased with the terms, and continued their dinner in peaceful chatter, unlike the teens the other side of the table.

"Ugh!" Angelica's yelp got silenced when she covered her mouth.

"Oh, that was your leg, Pickles?" Helga asked Angelica in an obviously fake sweet tone before covering her mouth to silence her own yelping.

"Yes, just like that one, Pataki." Angelica grinned evilly at the other blonde after kicking her back. Rhonda gulped, realizing what they were doing under the table.

"I see; guess this one is your leg too." Helga threw another kick.

"Same here," Angelica did the same, both kicks connecting… on Rhonda.

"Wrong target, girls," Rhonda soft growled, doing her best to hide her pained expression. Helga and Angelica got sheepish looks for a moment until Angelica addressed the brunette.

"Sorry, Rhonda; it's just that someone here forgot to go eating at her right place; at the kitchen, from a bowl with her name on it."

"Or at the stable, but guess it would be cruel to ruin the mules and horses' dinner." Helga narrowed her eyes at Angelica. The two blondes went back to eating, discretely glaring at each other. Rhonda did her best to keep her cool, but she was pretty tempted to leave the table or call for a bodyguard; at this point, she would rather be dining with Curly than with two girls ready to devour each other's head.

When the waiters removed the main entrance's dishes, and everyone was waiting for dessert, Angelica cleared her throat and addressed her parents.

"Mom, Dad may I be excused from the table for a moment?"

"Of course, dear," Charlotte smiled at her daughter, who also excused herself with the other adults and then turned at Rhonda, whispering softly at her.

"I'll be back in a minute; guess I'm going to throw up." The blonde glared at Helga at the last part. A few moments later, Helga cleared her throat as well.

"I have to leave for a moment too; if you excuse me," Helga turned at her father.

"Uh… okay, girl, go ahead." Bob replied, Helga barely hearing him since was too busy thinking out loud, luckily nobody but Rhonda hearing her.

"And guess I'm going to give her a reason to do it."

Rhonda stood on her place, almost frozen, thinking about what to do; of course, she didn't want to get between the blondes if they fought again, but, if they did it, it would be a major scandal, and Rhonda liked the restaurant, so the idea of her family never being able to eat here again wasn't exactly pleasant. The brunette made her mind, and, after excusing herself, went to the bathroom as fast as possible without ruining her style. When she was about to enter, two women exited the bathroom; since they looked quite calm, Rhonda guessed her classmates hadn't started a fight yet, but, if they were alone now, it was just a matter of time.

"Criminey, are you stalking me or what?" Rhonda gulped at the first thing she heard when entering, the blondes too busy glaring and growling at each other to acknowledge her presence.

"Hey, it's not my fault my parents had to associate with a freaks show!"

"Who are you calling a freak? You're the one with a mouth that puts alligators to a shame!"

"At least my ears are normal sized! Hey, Pataki, Dumbo called; he wants them back!"

"Once I'm done with you, your ears will be so big they'll get radio stations!"

"You have to solve everything with violence, or it's a tradition in your tribe?"

"Look who's talking, Miss I Destroy Boys' Descendants Machine!"

"Well, in case you just forgot, you hit him with your paw, beast!"

"That was an accident you caused!"

"Yes, because I'm the one who decided to insult a girl just because she got smarter than me about fighting someone way stronger… wait, that was you, right?" Angelica smirked at Helga.

"You're so… arrogant, annoying, loud and egotistical!"

"Tell me something I ignore; I bet you wouldn't admit being an idiot!"

"I don't admit things I'm not!"

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am!"

"No, you're not!"

"Yes, I'm an idiot, and…" Helga froze, noticing Angelica's triumphant grin.

"Oh, come on, Pataki, say 'You are despicable'; that would complete the scene."

"How about this one instead; it's Pickles season." Helga cracked her knuckles.

"Come on, show me what you have, Pink Farter." Angelica made an inviting gesture with her hands, scowling back at Helga.

"ENOUGH!" Rhonda's angry yell froze both blondes. Helga couldn't remember the last time she saw the brunette that furious.

"Now, listen you two; I'm no Miss Patience… that's Phoebe; and I'm not a miraculous worker… that's Arnold; and I'm definitely no Lila, so I'm not Miss Sweetness either; in other words, I have no time, patience, mood or intention to settle down your arguments, but I'm not risking my future visits to this restaurant, that happens to have a delicious French chocolate pudding, so shut up and listen." Rhonda took a deep breath before addressing Helga. "Pataki, I've known you for years, and yet sometimes I really can't stand your attitude, so it's no surprise Angelica can't do it either, so do everyone a favor and stop messing with her; and, Angelica," Rhonda turned at the other blonde, "as much as I like having around another good category girl, if you don't stop replying to Helga's stunts with some of your own, I'm banishing you from the popular crew!"

Rhonda took another deep breath, wondering how Arnold could stop fights and solve almost everyone's problems on a regular basis, and continued, a little calmer now.

"Helga, you had been a pain to almost everyone, but at least I always gave you some credit concerning the way you mess or beat other people; you had played pranks and insulted Arnold in the past, but I thought even you could appreciate him enough to not hurting the boy directly. Except for a few times he had argued you back, he's always defending you whenever someone else insults you, as he does with all his classmates, and he gets paid with a punch in the face?" Rhonda noticed Helga now had a guilty expression, and the brunette turned back at Angelica. "And you're not getting extra popularity points for hurting him as well; I mean, you saw how many people dashed to assist him after that incident; it was like if a Kennedy was shot! Accident or not, the fact is you injured Arnold, someone who had received you at his home and been nothing but polite and nice with you."

"But she started…" Helga and Angelica chorused while pointing at each other.

"I don't care who started… God, I feel as if talking to five years old!" Rhonda rubbed her temples, "The point is your fight, quarrel, antipathy or whatever already injured an innocent person who was just trying to stop both of you getting hurt. So, if you two don't like each other, fine, don't mind, don't care; but try to keep it under control! In case you haven't noticed, our parents are now business associates, which means we'll need to see each other on a regular basis out of school; I can hang around with you, Angelica, and yes, believe it or not, Helga, I can stand you for a while, but if you girls ever get together with nobody around, well, I don't even want to imagine what will happen."

"_Rhonda Wellington Lloyd playing the voice of reason; guess this is more serious than I thought. Worst of all, she's right, for once."_ Helga sighed; as much as she hated to admit it, Rhonda had more than a valid point, especially the part of Arnold getting hurt due her problems with Angelica. Helga noticed the other blonde had a similar expression, meaning that, at least, she had some resemblance of a conscience after all.

"Fine, Princess, I'll not scalp Pickles if she promises not getting on my nerves." Helga returned to her usual expression yet gave Rhonda a little sympathy face; it was weird yet nice that the brunette, despite still siding with Angelica, was showing some support for her as well. _"Guess Rhondaloid is a better friend I gave her credit for."_

"Only if you promise cutting down the pranks; let's limit ourselves to some insults, hateful glares and the occasional cold shoulder." Angelica soft glared at Helga.

"Fine."

"Fine."

Rhonda sighed in relief; of course she wasn't expecting them to shake hands, but this minor truce was better than nothing.

After the girls washed their hands and faces, they returned to the table and the blondes behaved the rest of the evening. However, Angelica and Helga weren't done yet; true, they agreed on limiting the verbal attacks and no longer relying on physical ones, so, they had to use the third option, something they both thought at the same time.

"_Blackmailing."_


	7. Behind Enemy Lines

**- Behind Enemy Lines**

Arnold got a lot of unwanted attention the next day, yet he understood it was hard to ignore him. Luckily, his cheek looked a lot better, and his walking was close to normal, but the beating's effects were still quite noticeable.

"Don't worry, Arnold; I know it's not nice to be in pain and have notorious injuries, but you get used after a while." Eugene, walking aside Arnold and Gerald, said to the blonde without noticing the locker ahead.

WHAM!

"I'm okay." Eugene rubbed his face while Gerald rolled his eyes and Arnold checked him.

"Are you sure?" Arnold sighed in relief when Eugene nodded. "Good… and thanks for the support."

"No problem; see you in class." Eugene said as walking away, shaking his head. "Wow, that last hit was actually a lucky one; I got my colors perception back."

"Seriously, Arnold, are you really okay? I didn't get hit and still felt it." Gerald said to his friend as the blonde opened his locker.

"Yes, Gerald, I'm fine. The nurse gave me some painkillers and I'm feeling a little better." Arnold was cut by Angelica approaching them, Gerald instinctively covering the space between his legs with his backpack.

"Hi, guys. Uh, Arnold, I just want to… apologize for, you know… performing The Nutcracker." The girl gave him an apologetic face.

"It is okay, Angelica, I know you got me by accident." Arnold smiled at her but then got a more serious look. "But I would like you and Helga stop fighting and insulting each other. I know, you may think it's not my business, but anything concerning my friends is my business."

"Fine, if you insist; don't worry, Pataki and I did agree on not beating each other's skeleton. We do enough damage with our words anyway."

"Enough damage… girl, your mouth should be catalogued as a massive destruction weapon." Gerald pointed in a good-humored way. Angelica rolled her eyes and then smirked at the Afro-American while Arnold sighed in relief.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now, Arnold," Angelica turned back at the blond boy, "I have to do a few things today. It's fine if we finish our homework tomorrow? Afternoon, of course; I don't wake up early on Saturdays."

"Sure, no problem," Arnold nodded at her, the boy smiling due the news of her and Helga respecting each other's anatomy, meaning a more pleasant school time for them and no more accidental beatings for him if trying to stop the girls.

"Well, see you guys later." Angelica then left to join Lorenzo and Lila, who were chatting at the same corridor, the blonde still needing to copy today's homework. A few moments later, Helga, with Phoebe next to her, was the one addressing Arnold.

"Hey, Football Head, I need to talk with you; don't worry, it will be fast." Helga then turned at Phoebe. "Pheebs, take Geraldo away; this is more or less private."

Gerald was about to argue but then realized he would be alone with Phoebe, so ignored Helga's tone and accompanied the petite Asian, who blushed slightly when the boy placed a hand on her shoulder. Once they were a few feet away, Helga took a deep breath and looked back at Arnold; if he didn't know her better, the boy could almost swear her eyes were getting slightly teary, something he didn't like at all.

"Uh, well… two things; first of all, I'm curious. How is your… you know… your…" Helga couldn't get to say it despite practicing at home earlier that day.

"My injuries," Arnold finished for her, the girl getting an obvious relieved expression, "Much better than yesterday, thanks for asking."

"Good. Now, the other thing… I'm… so… so… so… oh, criminey," Helga rubbed her forehead in self-annoyance. "Look, it was your fault you got injured, but still… sorry about the punch."

"I know you didn't mean to do it, Helga; so yes, I forgive you. Besides, I heard that you and Angelica are no longer fighting; I'm glad for the two of you because I wouldn't like anyone to get hurt, plus this way my 'football head' will not receive more damage." Arnold gave her a look that was both amused and warm, Helga getting weak knees yet regaining enough control to reply.

"Well, we're not becoming best friends or something like that, Bucko, but yeah, I'll not kill her and we'll cut the pranks. But, if we go back to fighting, stay away, Hair Boy, or I'll not care if you change again from Football Head to Punching Bag." Helga snarled at him and then started walking away, yet stopped to give him a fast glance, smiling slightly at the boy. "But thanks for worrying about us."

"_Well, screw Pickles; thanks for worrying about me." _Helga thought while Arnold shook his head and smiled at her.

"Anytime, Helga; see you in class." Arnold then turned to close his locker while Helga felt butterflies in her stomach and called Phoebe, the Asian waving bye to Gerald as joining her and the Afro-American boy getting an extremely pleased look that rivaled the short girl's.

"So, Phoebe, ready for today's operation?" Helga whispered at her friend; Phoebe's happy face got replaced by a concerned one.

"Yes, but, Helga, I'm doubtful; what you suggest involves trespassing, confidence abuse, and messing with someone's privacy."

"I know, Pheebs, but this is the only way I can get even on Pickles without breaking our agreement. So far, we're perfectly matched, so, to get the upper hand, I need some advantage, a way to keep her at bay or under control; if not, it's just a matter of time before this little truce of ours gets broken by one of us, and only God and The Devil know what we'll do to each other."

"Fine then," Phoebe sighed. "I hate to do this, but guess I'm already too involved, and I don't want you getting hurt or expelled."

"Pheebs, you're priceless," Helga smirked at her friend as playfully passing an arm over her shoulders, the Asian grinning a little bit; as Helga's friend, it was her duty to keep her away of trouble, and, if that wasn't possible, be there to get sure she wouldn't get hurt while performing her schemes, even if it meant her getting involved as well.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two periods later, Angelica went to the girls' bathroom, and, when noticing nobody was around, started tapping the tiles next to the door, finding a loose one. She then removed it, finding a little sheet of paper in a hole the tile was covering.

"_A map to Helga's house; excellent." _Angelica grinned evilly before hiding a picture of Rhonda behind the same tile. _"Don't know what's scarier; how easy Curly can be manipulated, or that he didn't care about breaking inside a girls' bathroom."_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Helga and Phoebe arrived at Angelica's place a little after the classes ended. Since they saw the Pickles girl leaving with Rhonda, Nadine and Lila, they deduced they would go to the mall and therefore wouldn't be around for a while. The house wasn't much bigger than Helga's, which made sense since the Pickles weren't planning to become permanent residents, but it was as stylish as Rhonda, and not that far away from the Lloyds' residence. Helga knocked the door, silently thankful (at least this time) for her father doing business with Angelica's parents, therefore they knew her and would let her and Phoebe in if they were at home; the blonde, however, hoped nobody was at the place so they could simply break in, but that plan died when hearing steps coming from the inside.

"Coming," Charlotte opened the door, smiling at the girls, "Oh, Helga, good afternoon; who's your friend?"

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Pickles; she's my friend Phoebe; we came to give back Angelica a book she borrowed to us." Helga, as usual, did most of the talking while Phoebe simply bowed slightly and said _'Konichiwa'_ to the woman.

"Oh, well, come in, and glad to meet you, Phoebe." Charlotte said as letting the girls inside. "My husband is at the construction site with your father, Helga, and Angelica is with Rhonda and some of her friends, so I'm alone doing paperwork. Want something to drink?"

Helga, as usual, made some fast thinking while Charlotte talked, looking for an excuse to be alone at Angelica's room. The blonde smiled when looking at a nearby table, with lots of papers on it, and gave Phoebe a little signal she immediately understood.

"We would appreciate it, Mrs. Pickles." Phoebe replied while giving a fast glance to the papers, smiling when looking at some ones with mathematical operations on them. "Uh, excuse my intromission, Mrs. Pickles, but I think this calculation is wrong."

"Why you say it… Phoebe, right?" Charlotte arched an eyebrow at the girl.

"Well, I don't want to meddle in your business or something likes that but I think this decimal point is misplaced." Phoebe said as pointing at the tiny mistake. Charlotte looked at the paper, wide opening her eyes when finding out she was right.

"Phoebe, dear, you just saved me a couple thousand dollars." Charlotte said as quickly correcting the operation. "You're quite smart."

"Oh, yeah, Phoebe is a genius." Helga said in a quite proud tone. "I'm sure she would be your best accountant if the state laws allowed it."

"Helga is exaggerating a little, Mrs. Pickles," Phoebe blushed while looking at the rest of the papers. "But I admit mathematic problems are quite fascinating for me, especially when applied to real life. Right here, for example, I notice this percentage needs a little adjustment."

"You think so?" Charlotte rubbed her chin while looking over the Asian girl's shoulder. Helga saw her chance and started walking towards the stairway.

"Why don't you have your fun while I put the book on Angelica's room?" Helga suggested.

"Oh… thanks, Helga; it's the second door right." Charlotte replied, not entirely paying attention to the blonde girl since focusing almost entirely on Phoebe, the petite girl saving Mrs. Pickles thousands of dollars with every suggestion and correction.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Angelica excused herself with Rhonda and the others, telling them she had to do some of the book's assignment since she and Arnold were meeting the next day to finish it; so, after knowing Slausens', the most popular diner among local teens, and having a milkshake the blonde admitted wasn't that bad, she headed to the Patakis' place. Of course she already knew several details about Helga, thanks to Curly, but the geek admitted most of them weren't exactly secret, and Angelica needed something like that to blackmail Helga, and had to do it alone; maybe Curly was a willing accomplice, but the blonde didn't want risking being caught if his craziness got the best out of the boy.

Angelica realized there was a car outside; since she knew Mister Pataki was working that day with her dad, the girl realized the car was Helga's mother's, and judging by the broken light and a slight dent, the woman wasn't a good driver. Angelica knew that she wouldn't be able to just sneak inside the house as planned, therefore thought about a good story to tell Mrs. Pataki and then rang the doorbell.

The girl waited outside the house for a couple minutes, ringing a few more times; when nobody answered or opened, Angelica knocked the door that opened after the first impact. The blonde got a surprised look; it wasn't common to leave the main door unlocked, especially in an urban area; Angelica popped her head inside the house.

"Hello? The door is open; may I come in?" Angelica got no answer, and, taking a deep breath, entered the house, locking the door. When walking a few steps she heard some soft snoring, and followed the noise, finding Helga's mother sitting, asleep, on a living room's individual couch.

"Mrs. Pataki?" Angelica raised her voice a little bit, walking next to the sleeping woman, who didn't react even when the girl shook her a little bit. Angelica frowned and cleared her throat. "Mrs. Pataki, you just won a million dollars and a kiss from Robert Redford!"

No answer.

"Gee, stop drinking decaf," Angelica chuckled a little bit; this was easier than she thought. The girl thought about taking a picture of the woman and inventing a good story about it, but even if Angelica despised Helga, she had some rules concerning her stunts, one of them being not messing with her victims' families, so dropped that idea. The blonde gave a look around, surprised at the large shelf filled up with lots of trophies, ribbons and certificates.

"They have more awards than the Academy." Angelica thought out loud while checking the prizes, all of them belonging to a certain Olga Pataki. The girl looked at the pictures hanging from the living room's walls, most of them showing a quite pretty blonde at several ages, the most recent ones revealing her being on her twenties.

"_She must be Helga's sister."_ Angelica thought, realizing there were no pictures of her rival. The girl left the living room, Miriam still on dreamland, and walked upstairs, finally finding a few family pictures, hanging from the walls, with Helga on them, the girl frowning or looking a little sad on all of them.

"_The girl isn't photogenic."_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Helga found the room in no time, getting a half-irritated look from Fluffy, the old white feline resting on the bed.

"You're a cat or a furry bowling ball?" Helga arched her eyebrow at the cat before looking around. The room looked a little bit like Rhonda's (Helga had been there a few times in the past) but with less ornaments and not that girly. The blonde looked at a bureau, finding lots of framed pictures on the shelves, all of them portraying Angelica at different ages; Helga got a half-surprised face when realizing the girl used to have ponytails, just like her until just a few years ago. The girl shook her face and continued watching.

"_She really has a themed decoration." _Helga then noticed Angelica, in some of the pictures, was holding a doll that wasn't exactly in good conditions. The girl then looked at the bed, finding the same doll on the pillow.

"_So, you have a favorite doll, Pickles; who could have guessed you had such a soft side?" _Helga smirked, the idea of stealing the doll popping in her mind. However, decided to research a little more before doing it.

Helga moved away from the bureau and focused on Angelica's drawers and desk. She found a few more framed pictures, these ones showing not just Angelica but some other people as well; Helga noticed a picture of her rival and her parents, and another one of Angelica with an Afro-American girl and a chubby red-haired boy, both of them around her age; then, the blonde noticed a group picture that had both Angelica and the other girl along with boys and girls that were a little younger; a boy with purple spiky hair ('_His parents let him dye it like that?' _was the first thing Helga thought when watching him), a short kid wearing a weird hat, a boy and a girl that looked so similar they were obviously twins, an Asian girl, and a boy so geeky he could compete with Curly in that department.

"That's his regular hairdo, or his head is on fire?" Helga thought out loud when looking at this specific boy; he had a lot of messy red hair, as well as braces, big purple glasses, as many freckles as Eugene or Lila, and, judging by his size, he was the oldest boy in the picture yet still, probably, younger than Angelica by a year or two.

Helga dropped the picture and turned on Angelica's laptop, but couldn't get any information since needed a password; the blonde tried a few obvious ones like Angelica's surname, her parents' names, 'Angel' and so, without success. A little frustrated, and also in a hurry since ignoring how much longer could Phoebe keep Mrs. Pickles busy, Helga decided to go for the sure thing and grab the doll, stopping when looking at the pictures next to Angelica's bed; practically all had the geeky boy on them, with or without Pickles.

"Could it be… no, that's impossible; if someone like Pickles could have an interest on someone like this boy, Rhonda would be madly in love with Curly," Helga said to herself. The girl then noticed the cat was now resting over the doll, protecting her human's property.

"Easy, easy, Flea Bag; I just want the doll." Helga approached with great care, kneeling to see the cat eye to eye; the girl then thought about throwing a slipper or shoe at the cat to scare it away, so moved her hand under the bed, hoping to find something like that; Helga froze when finding something else.

"A photo album… duh, of course!" Helga smacked her own forehead while moving away from the bed and the angry looking feline. "If there's something Pickles wants to keep secret, she wouldn't have it where everyone can find out."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"'_Helga's Room'; thanks for the hint, Pataki." _Angelica thought as finding the other blonde's room immediately thanks to the red letters painted on it. The girl entered and got a slightly surprised expression; even if she already expected Helga not having a feminine room, she thought her rival's would be quite messy instead of the almost spotless one she found.

"Well, Pataki, you're more organized than me… still, you need to improve the decoration." Angelica thought out loud; certainly, this was the first room she entered that had absolutely no pictures or ornaments of any kind, unless counting the punching bag at one corner. The only thing that reminded the blonde that a girl lived here was the bed's pink sheets.

"_Okay, I don't have too muc__h to work with. If I didn't know better, would think you want making this harder for me, Pataki." _Angelica started looking around the room, frowning when realizing there wasn't a thing to look for. Then, the girl decided to look under the bed, in case Helga had something embarrassing hidden there.

"Let's see… hey, she has a snake leather belt." Angelica said while extending her hand, realizing a moment later she was wrong; no belt and no snake yet definitely a reptile.

"YIKES!" Angelica yelped in fear and surprise when Zilla hissed at her. The previous night was quite cold so Helga let her pet sleep at the bedroom, and he was still there when his owner left that morning.

Angelica walked a few steps back as Zilla approached her, the animal defending his territory against an unknown person; since the reptile was big enough to swallow a large parrot on a single bite, it was quite intimidating. Angelica thought about running out of the room but decided to hide inside the closet instead, sighing in relief when closing the door and finding a light switch.

"Either these people have the weirdest taste in pets, or they really need an exterminator." Angelica took a deep breath; luckily, the closet was large enough for her to move more or less comfortably despite the many dresses and pants hanging inside; Angelica gave them a look and then turned at the shirts and other various clothing, most of it pink.

"_Oh, wait, I got it, Pataki; all your clothing__ used to be red but you keep washing together color and white." _Angelica frowned while leaning against the back of the closet; a second later, the girl fell on her butt, the back of the closet actually being just a dark curtain covering something.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"**I took this one after pouring some sand on Finster's pants; childish yet funny. He looks quite cute doing those weird moves."**

Helga read the little note next to the picture of the geeky boy whose name she now knew was Charles Finster yet was better known as Chuckie. The girl chuckled a little bit at the image; he certainly looked both dumb and cute at the same time.

All the album's pictures had Chuckie on them; again, many times he was alone or with one of the other kids, and at times Helga found a picture of him and Angelica either just the two of them or with someone else. Each picture had a little note next to it that served as a summary of the image that gave Helga the boy's name and some basic information along with a few others like Tommy and Dil, Angelica's cousins; Susie and Harold, the Afro-American girl and the chubby guy; the DeVille twins, Phil and Lil, and Kimi, the Asian girl, whose mother had married Chuckie's dad and therefore was his stepsister. Helga also realized that Angelica liked to prank and insult all of them, but weirdly enough was also strongly attached to each one, especially to Chuckie, judging by the way Angelica expressed about him. Helga looked at a picture of the boy behind a counter, serving drinks (probably a part time job, Helga guessed) and the note under it that was considerably longer than most of the others.

"**I was quite angry this day; a bad grade in my last pop quiz, a twisted ankle in P.E., and a freaky lab accident that involved Harold and a test tube that ended ruining my shirt. Everybody noticed my mood and kept distance from me, I mean, except Chuckie. I can say he was a little scared when I entered the cyber-café, especially after I practically roared at him for my drink; however, as usual, he surprised me. Not just he gave me his coconut-free special for free but also was patient enough to hear my whole rant without interrupting, and after I was done**** and more or less cooled down, he gave me another special, smiling and even offering himself to help me study for my next test and improve my grades; when I reminded the boy I usually boss him and yell a lot when we work together, he simply shrugged and told me he was used and we also make a good team when stop arguing. I took this picture when he turned to attend another client; I still can't believe how nice can be with me despite the way I treat him. I obviously accepted his offer; I may be one year older than Chuckie but, in the academic aspect, he had always been smarter than me. Too bad couldn't take a picture of the study session; it was just like I predicted but once we finally got to work it was nice, and I really aced my next exam. Sometimes I wonder what I would do without this scaredy-cat yet lovable geek."**

Helga froze after finishing her read; even if Pickles wasn't writing long poetry-filled texts, it was obvious she had deep feelings for Chuckie. According to the notes, the boy had many defects, including clumsiness, nervousness and lots of fears, but also many qualities like kindness, honesty, loyalty and a really caring nature, and, despite his looks, he wasn't exactly ugly. Helga now was doubtful; as much as she disliked and even hated her rival, could she do something to her now she knew they had more in common than they had realized?

"Okay… so, now I know she likes a boy whose name and looks resemble a killer toy's from a horror movies series; what I'm doing with that information?" Helga groaned; her out-loud thinking got interrupted by the sound of a parking car.

"Criminey! Her dad is home! Her mom is going to remember I'm here!" The girl gasped and made a quick decision; she chose a picture from the middle of the album, one with Chuckie and Angelica sitting at a bench sharing popcorn (more like, she eating from his bag); it wasn't among the first pictures or one of the most recent, so thought Pickles wouldn't notice its absence for a while.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Freaky…" Angelica wide-opened her eyes at the Arnold shrine in front of her. The blonde shook her head and stood up, surprised and a little bit scared. "Pataki does voodoo and Arnold is her victim?"

The girl then saw several boxes around her; when opening them, she found notebooks and loose paper sheets; when reading them Angelica's fear got replaced by shock and surprise.

"**Oh, Arnold, I don't know what have your eyes; don't know what have your lips; that dominate my cravings and make me go crazy. I don't know how I can stop loving you, or how I slowly started to adore; I feel dying a thousand times when you aren't around. At night, when I go to sleep, I sometimes pray God for forgetting you, but at dawn I wake up just to continue this worship. What influence have your lips that when you talk to me I tremble, making me feeling a slave and the ruler of Universe."**

"This girl is crazy in love; with double emphasis in 'crazy', but in love, no less!" Angelica re-read the sheet and then fast-read a few other ones and a couple of notebooks, all of them filled with similar writing. Sometimes she could find long texts, covering several pages, and then songs and short poems, all of them inspired by Arnold.

"**If God takes my life before yours, I'll ask him to make me the angel watching your steps; because, of other arms give you the heat I couldn't, ****it would be so much pain that, in Heaven itself, I would die again."**

"_Of course; the name-calling, the spit-balls… I must be an idiot! How I didn't realize before… and how hadn't anyone realized yet? No wonder Helga hates me that much; I'm spending time with her beloved."_

Angelica sat in silence, pondering about what she would do now; she was ready to expose a secret or, at least, threaten Helga with that exposing, but this was beyond the girl's expectations. This information would damage Helga's reputation, but even Angelica, who could be the picture of selfishness and trickery, knew the concept of empathy.

"Hey, Miriam, wake up! I'm hungry!"

Angelica gasped when hearing Big Bob trying to wake up his wife. The blonde had to find a way out and leave the house now; Angelica put all the notebooks and sheets back in the boxes yet conserved the 'ruler of Universe' one, not wanting to leave empty-handed. Angelica put the curtain back on its place and then opened the door a little bit, sighing in relief when realizing the lizard wasn't waiting for her. Angelica exited the closet and closed the door hurriedly, finding Zilla the other side of the room; the animal, momentarily distracted by his efforts in catching a spider, heard the girl and charged against her. The blonde dashed to the window, exiting, closing it back and left through the fire exit, Zilla giving her an angry look from the room.

"Where's Nigel Thornberry when you need him?" Angelica thought out loud as leaving the place as fast and stealthy as possible.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Helga walked downstairs, the picture already in her backpack, the moment Charlotte finished introducing Phoebe and her husband together.

"Ah, Helga, nice to see you; your father is on his way home. Angelica will be a little late today; do you and Phoebe want joining us for dinner?" Drew addressed the blonde.

"Thanks, Mister Pickles, but Phoebe and I are in a hurry; I put the book on the bed, so Angelica will find it without problems." Helga waved bye to the adults while she and Phoebe headed to the door, Drew accompanying them.

"Thanks again for your hospitality, Mrs. Pickles. Glad to meet you, Mister Pickles." Phoebe said bye as well, Drew smiling at the girl and Charlotte thanking her again for the help. Once they were a little far away from the house, the Asian turned at Helga.

"So, you found what you wanted?"

"Actually… found more than I expected." Helga rubbed the back of her neck. "I'll have to check the… evidence I got before deciding to use it."

Phoebe noticed Helga was a little nervous; she knew her friend rarely had conscience crisis, so realized that, either she found something that would damage Angelica so much even Helga was hesitant to use it, or the little research revealed both blondes having more in common besides their mutual dislike and the ability to come up with a good insult in record time.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Author Note.**

The poems Angelica found are slightly modified and translated parts of two songs, '_Esclavo y Amo'_ and _'Si Dios te quita la vida'_. (That's right; first was written by José Vaca Flores and the second by Luis Demetrio, and both songs were made popular by Mexican singer Javier Solis, therefore Ramiro doesn't own them.) Thanks, Phoebe. Stay tuned for next chapter.


	8. Confrontation

**-AN: **Before starting this chapter, Phoebe and I have to say something. (In deed. In spirit of the holidays, we want to wish you enjoy them in company of your loved ones regardless of your religious background) In other words, Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah to everyone, including you, Phoebe. (_Konichiwa_, Ramiro, and _Feliz Navidad_ to you too). Thanks. And now, on with the chapter.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**- Confrontation.**

Angelica arrived at Arnold's place around 2 o' clock in the afternoon; as she said to him, she wasn't a morning person and therefore couldn't be there earlier, especially due the girl hardly sleeping the previous night thinking about Helga, the mail from Susie and the now daily one from Chuckie barely calming her enough to get some rest. The Pickles girl now had a sure way to destroy her rival's reputation, so she only needed a fast call to blackmail her forever; however, the girl was still doubtful about using this information, or the evidence she was still carrying in her backpack; she considered herself lucky enough for Helga not being home when she did that research, a detail that she didn't really consider when decided doing her spying stunt. Angelica had no idea about Helga and Phoebe visiting her place due her parents being quite busy that night so they simply forgot about mentioning it.

Arnold and Angelica spent a couple of hours working, the assignment looking like 'A' material in no time. The girl was glad her part was almost finished since the first session and they now only had to make minor adjustments, since she wasn't paying full attention to the work, her mind almost entirely focused in her moral dilemma.

"I think this should be enough." Arnold smiled when saving the work in his computer and then printing it.

"Finally; it had been ages since I did so much work on Saturday." Angelica, who was sitting next to the boy, stretched her arms before taking a last sip to the now almost empty Yahoo Arnold gave her a while ago.

"Angelica, do you feel okay? I noticed you were a little distracted." Arnold asked the girl.

"_How come you notice that and n__ot the psychotic obsession Pataki has for you?"_

"Uh… yeah… I'm fine, just feeling a little homesick, I guess." Angelica half-lied, "Back at home, I usually go to the mall with my friend Susie, phone-chat stuff with the popular girls, or go tease my other friends; I'm not that used to be plan-less."

"I see; well, Rhonda likes going to the mall as well, and it's not that late. You can call and meet her there; I'm going with Gerald to the arcade in a while but can drop you at the mall on my way, if you want." Arnold offered.

"Not a bad idea, but… it's okay if we just talk for a while?" Angelica got a little grin. "I like hanging around with Rhonda and Lila, the boys are fine and Nadine is… interesting, but wouldn't mind chatting about something besides fashion and cool stuff."

"Sure; what do you want to talk about?" Arnold smiled at the blonde, getting a more relaxed position.

"Well, if you don't mind, can we talk about Pataki? You keep telling me she's not such a bad person and all, but so far we hadn't been exactly the candidates for Best Blonde Friendly Pair."

Arnold sighed and got a thoughtful expression while Angelica congratulated herself; maybe, if knowing a little more about Helga, and the way Arnold felt about her, it would be easier to take a decision.

"She is complicated, to say the least." Arnold got an uneasy look. "She had insulted, fooled and played pranks on me since Kindergarten, and she keeps telling me how much she hates me… and yet…"

Angelica noticed the uneasy look slowly changing to a slightly happy one.

"Whenever I get into trouble, and it's something Gerald or my Grandpa can't help me with… she's there for me. After the double hitting incident, she apologized and seemed to be quite worried about my state…"

"_Of course she was; I almost messed with her wedding night."_ Angelica covered her mouth to hide her grin while Arnold continued.

"… and she's not like the other girls; she likes being one of the boys, and play baseball, football and hockey with us, and… she doesn't let anyone take advantage on her. She is smart, witty, speaks her mind… and we have shared a few experiences." Arnold's grin was quite broad by now. "Long story short, Helga is quite difficult at times, but I think she isn't as tough as she wants people to think."

Angelica was tempted to say something about the 'speaks her mind' part, but restrained herself. Arnold's answer was quite interesting; for a boy who had been bullied and insulted as much as he claimed, he barely had any negative comment about Helga.

"I see; well, if you say so, who am I to doubt your word?" Angelica shrugged.

"Thanks, Angelica; you aren't that bad yourself." Arnold smiled at the girl, Angelica shaking her head at the remark.

"I insist; you guys don't know me that well yet."

"_I must concede that to Pataki; this boy has a nice smile."_

Someone knocked the door at that moment, and, a second later, Gertie entered the room in her karate outfit.

"Hello, young grasshoppers." The old woman got a solemn tone as approaching them.

"Hello, Mrs.; let me guess; you're cooking Japanese tonight." Angelica said to Gertie, the old lady chuckling a little.

"Yes, but I'm also here to offer my ancestral wisdom." Gertie then looked at Arnold. "I applaud you didn't fight back when this young lady and your other friend hit you by accident, but you shouldn't have ended that damaged. I think it's time to return to your training."

"Wait, you really know karate?" Angelica asked both Arnold and his grandma.

"Yes; she's a black belt, and taught me a few moves some time ago, but stopped practicing because I kind of… overreacted at times." Arnold rubbed the back of his neck, obviously embarrassed.

"But you learned your lesson, and, as your sensei, I must insist on helping my young pupil; at least, that way, next time you'll be able to block the hits or recover faster." Gertie pointed, still in her solemn sensei-like tone, before turning back at Angelica. "You can join us if you want, dear; the dojo can always accept another student."

"Thanks, but I'll better fight with my mouth than with my fists and feet." Angelica shrugged while the old woman arched an eyebrow.

"You bite people?"

"Only if they get close enough." Angelica replied in her tone nobody could tell if was serious or a joke while grabbing her backpack. "I'll better get going; oh, and Arnold, if your training involves washing and waxing cars, call me and we can start our own business."

Arnold laughed softly at Angelica's comment, and, after promising his grandma he would soon join her at the dojo (an old, currently empty room), walked her out.

"I still can't believe how well you stand my grandmother's antics."

"My cousin Dil looks for aliens, walks on his hands, wears a ridiculous Sherpa hat with plastic teeth hanging from it, talks with his goldfish, and can fit his whole body in a laundry basket." Angelica rolled her eyes. "Once you get used to that, you can stand almost any crazy stuff unless it involves a hockey mask and a rusty chainsaw. See you later, Daniel-San, I mean, Arnold."

Arnold waved bye to Angelica as she walked away, wondering if he liked this girl's company because of her sarcasm, wits and attitude, or because she reminded him Helga a lot.

The girl didn't walk right back home. Arnold's idea of going shopping with Rhonda was quite tempting, but she still had to think a lot about her next move concerning Helga and her secret. Lila had told Angelica about a nice park not far away from the neighborhood, and the blonde decided to go there and find a nice, secluded spot to think in peace.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Okay, so now I know this girl has a heart, and just 24 hours ago I wanted nothing more than ripping it off her chest… but now I'm not sure." Helga, at her usual thinking place (the bridge at the park) looked at her locket and sighed. "Oh, my dear Arnold, what I must do? Now that I'm sure she has no romantic interests on you, and her heart already has owner, my head is filled up with tormenting doubts. How can I damage someone who, despite our differences, resembles my own stupid romantic self so much in the feelings department and how we express them? Please, Arnold, illuminate me with some of the wonderful wisdom you store in that great football head so I can find a solution to this dilemma."

Helga then turned around and got a slightly sad look; usually, at this point, either Brainy appeared and she could relieve some stress on him, or Arnold did it and she could get a good advice or a gentle, comforting word. This time, however, she was alone.

"Guess even you can't be everywhere at any time, my beloved." Helga placed her locket back under her shirt and started walking away while taking the little picture she snatched from Angelica's album out of her pocket. Despite showing Angelica being abusive on this Chuckie boy, they both seemed quite content with each other's company.

Unfortunately, as it usually happens with Helga when she's focusing on anything besides what's in front of her, she collided with someone just as distracted.

"Hey, watch out, Fool!"

"You watch out, Sucker!"

Both Helga and Angelica froze when realizing who was on the ground next to her. Unlike their previous encounters, this time they didn't react with an insults' exchange but with nervousness.

"Pickles… uh… well…"

"Pataki… ah… uh… "

"You dropped this!" The blondes said at the same time, handling each other the item, they thought, the other had dropped. However, in their hurry, they delivered the wrong one… that, ironically, was also each girl's right one.

"MY POEM!" Helga gasped at the paper on her hands.

"MY PICTURE!" Angelica got the same reaction.

The girls went back to look at each other, this time silently glaring and clenching their fists and teeth.

"You…" Helga got an increasingly furious look.

"… broke into…" Angelica glared back at Helga, her rage growing as well.

"… **MY ROOM!"** Both blondes roared as charging against each other, the truce forgotten just like any complicated fighting maneuver, erupting into a wild catfight nobody but the frightened squirrels and birds around noticed since the park was almost desert right now.

Helga grabbed Angelica by the hair, yanking it furiously, and Angelica did the same with Helga's large ponytail. Helga then released Angelica's hair but just to use her right hand to grab the opponent's collar and Old Betsy to punch her rival's sides and stomach. Angelica groaned in pain and released the ponytail, giving Helga a sharp karate chop at the side of her neck, hard enough to cut the Pataki girl's attack; the blondes separated from each other, Helga rubbing her neck while Angelica got a deep breath and then tackled her enemy, landing on top of Helga and delivering a fast series of punches over her.

Helga handled to catch Angelica's wrists and roll her body, so now she was the one on top; Helga grabbed her rival by the hair again and slammed her head against the ground before throwing some strong punches over her. Angelica cried in pain and rage, the adrenaline's boost giving her enough strength to not losing conscience, and grabbed a fistful of soil and lawn, throwing it at Helga's face. Helga rubbed her eyes, temporarily blind, and Angelica used this chance to roll and throw Helga down of her. The Pickles girl then delivered a sharp kick to Helga's chest, leaving her breathless, and Angelica then caught her in a headlock, tightening her grip so much Helga could barely breath, gasping for air a few moments later; the Pataki girl used all her strength on a powerful punch against Angelica's already injured side, forcing her rival to loose the grip, Angelica rubbing her ached side while Helga could finally breath again, both girls standing up.

When Angelica turned to continue the fight, Helga almost punched her face, but the Pickles girl handled to block it and deliver a punch of her own that Helga dodged. The punching/blocking/kicking/slapping continued for a minute or so until Helga stunned her rival with a sharp punch at the abdomen, and then caught her in a headlock; the Pataki girl had to release her prey a moment later due pain and surprise when Angelica gave her left arm a strong bite. The taller blonde shook her arm in pain while Angelica recovered her breath and replied with a hard slap to the other girl's face followed by a series of kicks that ended when Helga got close enough to jump over Angelica, both girls rolling on the lawn again. This time, Helga focused on Angelica's legs, twisting her ankles in a quite painful way, her enemy yelling and struggling to break free until she handled to grab Helga's ponytail again, yanking it so hard Helga had to stop her attack; then, Angelica released the ponytail and grabbed Helga's arm, twisting her wrist with a hand while using the other to apply pressure on her rival's elbow. Now it was Helga's turn to cry and yell, but still resisted the awful punishment and, using her free hand, grabbed one of Angelica's feet, pulling it while using one of her own feet to apply pressure on the other blonde's ankle. Both girls were now applying an extremely horrible and painful torture to each other but refused to give up.

"You… hellhound…" Angelica growled through gritted teeth.

"You… imbecile…" Helga replied the same way, applying all her strength on the grip.

"Two-legged rat…"

"Poisonous viper…"

"Life's dejection…"

"I hate and despise you…"

"**How would**** anyone love you?"**

Time seemed to freeze as the girl realized they had said the same thing in a perfect chorus. Slowly, each girl relaxing her muscles a little bit, one released the other, and then remained at the lawn, Helga staring at Angelica and otherwise.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After what seemed to be hours, but in reality were just ten minutes, the girls broke the staring and went to the stream running down the park's bridge, washing their faces. Angelica took out her hand mirror and gave herself a good check up, sighing and finally getting her voice back.

"Are you sure you don't have hooves instead of hands? Because you don't just look like a mule but hit like one."

"Maybe I needed to hit that hard to hurt the cement block you have for a head." Helga replied as placing her hands in the cold water, relieving some pain from her knuckles as Angelica already have done. Then, while Angelica rubbed one of her sides, Helga gave a look to the bite marks on her left arm.

"I'm going to need a rabies shot." Helga commented, looking at the nasty impression on her skin.

"And I'll need to wash my teeth a million times to get rid of your germs."

The girls went back to silence for a few moments until Helga spoke.

"How long?"

"Since he was on diapers."

"You beat my record; I started on pre-school, right when meeting him."

"Yeah, he already told me you two met there." Angelica sighed. "How did you enter my house, by the way?"

"Phoebe distracted your mom while I registered your room; your parents didn't tell we 'visited' you?"

"No. They pay me a lot of attention unless work gets on the way; in that case, I always pass to second place. I'm usually fine with that."

"At least they remember your name and your classmates'." Helga sighed. "Let me guess how you entered my house; my mom left the door open and she was hibernating."

"Give the girl a prize." Angelica rolled her eyes. "Your mother is narcoleptic?"

"No, just lazy; unless my dad gets injured and she needs covering him at work, or my sister comes to visit, she's usually in Dream Land."

"I see… oh, and you must do something with that lizard in your room; it tried to bite me."

"Good thing he didn't do it; I don't let Zilla eat junk food." Helga got a little grin but it disappeared due the pain in her lower jaw.

"Come on, let me cover those bruises." Angelica said as taking out her make-up kit from the backpack. "I don't want to explain Rhonda and Arnold why we couldn't respect the truce more than two days."

Helga nodded and sat down at the lawn, allowing Angelica apply make-up on the bruises, covering them the best she could.

"You have to do something with your cutis; that lizard's skin looks better than yours."

"Well, Zilla doesn't get involved in cat-fighting; he prefers rat-swallowing." Helga groaned. "Good thing nobody taped this or every pervert at school would want a copy."

"Yeah, I even have a good title for the video; Beauty kills The Beast." Angelica grinned. "Of course, in order to work, you shouldn't be breathing by now."

"Cut that or we'll start filming the sequel." Helga soft growled at the other blonde before getting back her curious tone. "And… how did you fell for this Chuckie guy? I know from the notes that he has some good qualities, but Barbie girls like you fall for Ken-like types, not Chucky The Diabolical Dummy."

"I made him watch two of those movies; couldn't see his own reflex for a whole week." Angelica chuckled, and, weirdly enough, Helga did as well until pain stopped her. "Does it hurt?"

"Yes, but you know the deal; only when I laugh."

The blondes kept silence for a few seconds until Angelica got her mischievous grin.

"A priest, a pastor and a rabbi enter a bar…"

"Pickles…"

"What, are you ordering a hamburger?"

Helga couldn't hold a little laugh, Angelica chuckling at the following pained expression.

"Okay, stop the comedy act, Miss Saturday Night, and let's get back to the conversation before I remember how much I want to throw you to the stream."

Angelica took a deep breath before talking again, stopping her bruise-camouflaging work.

"Well, you already noticed I'm not exactly the kindest girl around. I lie, trick, fool, cheat, bully, boss…"

"Yeah, you have quite a curriculum."

"Then you may imagine how hard is for me to make friends, and I mean real ones; truth be said, Rhonda and company are the first popular guys I can honestly call friends, because the ones at home are more like social acquaintances." Angelica looked down for a moment. "And practically all the real friends I have are due our families; I'm related to two of them and my parents and uncles are friends with the parents of the others. Also, as you surely already know, I love attention, and don't take kindly when someone steals the spotlight from me; combine all that and you will get a more or less good idea of the kind of friend I am. Sure, we help each other when needed, but most of my friends tolerate my presence more than enjoying it."

"I can… understand that." Helga rubbed her arms while looking down.

"When we were little kids it was a lot easier; I was one of the oldest so they had to obey and respect me. But as we grew up I kind of separated from the group; still have contact with them but not as much as before, and now they can walk away when not liking my attitude." Angelica got back her grin. "Except Chuckie Finster; I can do anything to him and yet he keeps coming back whenever I need his help, even if it's something he doesn't enjoy. Many times I don't even have to ask; he's there to offer himself despite knowing he may get in trouble. And when nobody else is supporting me… he has full faith in my capacities. For example, some time ago my parents sent me to live with my friend Susie for a whole week to teach me some discipline, because she has a big family and the only way they can live all together at the same house is following a strict set of rules I, of course, wasn't used to; and I had to help with lots of chores I had no idea about how to do them… cooking, changing diapers, general cleaning…"

"From Princess to Pauper; I like the story so far."

"Anyway, when people at school knew about it, they started betting, and practically everyone thought I wouldn't stand the whole week except three persons; my cousin Tommy, who's more or less obliged to do it due us being family, my sidekick Harold, who obviously had to support his boss, and…"

"Chuckie."

"Who had no reason to support but him knowing me and having full confidence in my intelligence and obstinacy; long story short, I completed the week mainly to prove everyone wrong and not failing those who supported me, especially him."

"So… you've always felt this way about the boy?" Helga, by now honestly interested, asked the other blonde.

"Well, when the whole thing started I considered him like another toy of mine… but he was my favorite toy. Later, when I started to realize my feelings for him, I tried to forget about the boy focusing on popular guys; it worked for a while." Angelica sighed. "But it wasn't a permanent solution; that geek is permanently stuck inside me. I even started standing Harold and accepted him as my friend on first place just because he has some of Chuckie's traits; the red hair, the freckles, honesty, loyalty… you get the picture."

"And why you didn't fall for this chubby guy?"

"Because, as good as our relationship is, it's not nearly as deep and personal as the one I have with Chuckie; he is… full of defects, true, but also has the same qualities I lack, so we kind of complement each other. I don't love him despite his defects, but because I accept them as part of what he is, and he accepts mine the same way… even if I don't know if he feels exactly as I do, but you get the idea. And besides, no matter how sad or moody I can feel, he always makes me laugh or smile, either by accident or due one of my pranks, or by him doing it on purpose." Angelica got a little smile at the last part.

Helga looked down again, meditating on Angelica's words. Helga rarely could see any defect on Arnold, except when he got on her nerves, and idealized him on every possible way, while Angelica accepted Chuckie wasn't flawless and was fine with that. The other blonde loved this guy the same way Helga hoped Arnold would love her back.

"And I think Arnold may feel the same way about you."

Helga wide opened her eyes at the mention of her beloved.

"He… told you that?"

"Well, I wanted to get a little more information to decide if you were mean or dangerous enough to need the blackmailing treatment, so I had a little chat with your football headed Romeo." Angelica smirked at Helga. "And I learned a little bit of how Arnold thinks about you."

"What he told you?"

"That you are bossy, hard to stand, a natural prankster," Angelica noticed Helga was slowly going to a sulking mood so decided to hurry up on her narration, "original, smart, witty, supporting, interesting…"

"Arnold said that?" Helga was practically beaming, her aching jaw totally forgotten.

"In other words, but yes, and was smiling when saying it," Angelica could almost see Helga glowing at her words. "Maybe you should, well… it's just a theory… try being a little kinder with him. He may surprise you one of these days."

"Yeah… maybe," Helga sighed, her smile still present.

"But don't tell him about the shrine; it was even freakier than the lizard in your room and your mother in coma." Angelica shook her head. "I just don't know how you can stand that creature in your home; the drooling snout, the dry skin, the horrible breath…"

"I hope you aren't talking about my mother." Helga frowned at Angelica, both girls laughing softly a few moments later while Angelica applied some makeup on her own bruises, both girls silent until she finished. Luckily, Angelica was used to wear purple eye-shadow, and it covered quite well a particularly nasty bruise over her left eye.

"I'll need a few baths when returning home; good thing my parents are visiting a possible investor today." Angelica said while taking out a clothing change from her backpack. "Sorry I don't have something for you but, then again, I would need to incinerate those clothes after you returned them."

"And I would need to soak those clothes in Church's water before wearing them." Helga rolled her eyes while standing in front of Angelica to offer some coverage as the other blonde changed clothes. "Ah, well; Bob and Miriam wouldn't notice me even if I returned home after fighting ten rounds with George Foreman."

Angelica put her dirty clothing inside the backpack before giving a look to her picture and placing it on a different compartment while Helga put the poem into one of her pockets. Both girls were now decent-looking enough to walk home without people at the street asking if they had fought a panther and lost.

"So… the truce continues?"

"Yes; same terms." Helga pointed. "Just insults, no hits, zero pranks… and total discretion about you-know-what. I want to tell Arnold what I feel, but on my terms and when I'm ready and you don't want risking your place among the popular ones if they know you like a geek."

"Fine with me," Angelica shrugged. "I'll better get going; I'll call Rhonda later so we can go to the mall tomorrow. I need to buy more makeup."

"And I'll stop by Phoebe's place so she can give me some of that natural medication her dad keeps; it makes wonders with minor aches."

"And we're still no friends, okay?" Angelica pointed. "We just have a mutual agreement, nothing more."

"Of course; who would want to be friends with someone like you?"

"Don't know; ask Phoebe." Angelica grinned slyly at Helga.

"Touché, girl," Helga replied with a similar grin before both blondes walked their separate ways, Helga limping slightly while Angelica rubbed her sides once in a while.

"See you on Monday, Giraffe." Angelica waved bye to Helga as the distance between them grew.

"Same here, Barbie."

"Flamingo Girl."

"Pitbull Mouth."

"Two-Legged Earthworm."

"Criminey, Pickles, you must always have the last word?" Helga, slightly upset, practically yelled the last part since Angelica was very far by now. The Pickles girl shrugged and kept walking; Helga turned to leave and froze when hearing Angelica shouting back.

"Yes."

Helga turned and opened her mouth yet said nothing as Angelica was now out of sight, so simply sighed in annoyance and left the park.


	9. Uneasy Truce

**- Uneasy Truce**

"Pinky."

"The Brainless."

"You don't need to introduce yourself." Angelica arched an eyebrow at Helga as they met each other on their way to the classroom for their now usual insults' exchange.

"Oh, believe me you wouldn't like to hear how I would introduce you." Helga got a similar face and made a little vow. "Please, come in; ladies first."

"So you're finally admitting my category?" Angelica said as entering the room.

"No, it's just that I saw 'Lady and The Tramp' last night."

Angelica scowled at Helga yet said nothing as moving to her usual seat, the other blonde sitting next to Phoebe, who was really relieved that this exchange didn't end violently, while the other classmates who were already at the room chuckled at the scene yet some were disappointed due the lack of blood.

Helga and Angelica could be a lot of things but, when promising something, and really meaning it, they did their best to stick to their word. It had been almost a week since the showdown at the park, and since the next Monday they insulted, mocked or teased each other several times a day, but did their best to keep the verbal attacks on a moderate level. They hated to admit it, but both girls secretly enjoyed the exchanges; Helga wasn't surprised when Angelica confessed being the Debating champion at her home town, which explained why she was up to trade verbal blows all day with someone who could match her so well either on insulting exchanges at the classroom or civilized chatting at home.

This was another thing they now did on a regular basis; having more or less civilized talks, always when nobody else was around. Of course, they still insulted each other when chatting, but it wasn't as harsh as before, and the girls found some sort of relief on talking about their respective loved ones with someone else; Helga was aware Phoebe knew about her devotion towards Arnold but the short girl also knew her friend wasn't exactly open to discuss that theme and Phoebe was discreet enough to not mentioning it; and of course, even if Helga had confessed her secret to Lila, the blonde didn't feel exactly thrilled to talk about it with one of Arnold's old crushes; on the other hand, Angelica knew her friend Susie suspected something but the Carmichael girl wasn't sure so never insisted on Chuckie's topic; Harold was nice and all but not too bright and very bad at keeping secrets; and, since all other Angelica's friends were also Chuckie's pals (and all of them way closer to him than to her) she had nobody to discuss her secret. Talking with someone the girls knew wouldn't spill the truth and was on a similar situation was a new experience for the blondes, and it wasn't half-bad.

These conversations were usually telephonic ones, except for one time Helga accompanied Bob to the Pickles' place for a little business meeting and the girls could talk at Angelica's room. Bob, always the business man before the family one, thought it would be good for his partnership that Helga was in friendly terms with his associates' daughters, so insisted on her coming; besides, he obviously didn't want his associates visiting a barely clean house, so suggested these meetings to happen either at the Pickles or the Lloyds'; the latter already had happened once, Rhonda receiving the bickering duo at home and the blondes found other conversation's topics so the three of them could get included; of course, at times one of them was excluded, either Helga when the topic was fashion or other high-society stuff, or Angelica when Rhonda and Helga remembered old times. When Rhonda wasn't around, even if the situation could turn tense and end in major insulting, the blondes could talk about 'their' boys.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Flashback.**

"So, you confessed your feelings and kissed the guy?" Angelica, sitting at her bed, wide opened her eyes at Helga, who was sitting on a chair, the Pataki girl just ending her narration of a certain incident on a rooftop.

"Don't forget the part where we both agreed on that being 'a heat of the moment' thing," Helga air-quoted, "and never mentioned it again."

"First of all… rats, I'm jealous of you!" Angelica groaned. "You already kissed your boy three times, on the lips, no less, and I still can't get a single peck on the cheek!" Angelica calmed down while Helga got a little dreamy smile. "And second… I'm tempted to hit you with that chair you're sitting on for being that silly."

"Join the club; I had been considering doing the same thing more than once." Helga sighed. "It was the perfect chance, and I wasted it!"

"Okay, your pathetic excuse aside, I think can understand Arnold here." Angelica pointed. "You two were nine, Pataki! Even if the boy had crushes before that, he wasn't ready to know someone is totally devoted to him, and that it's the same person that bullies and torments him on a regular basis."

"Thanks for the psychoanalysis, Doctor Pickles." Helga rolled her eyes yet her tone lacked the usual venom she used for most insults.

"I'll send you the bill later, even if I usually don't attend lunatics." Angelica shrugged. "Anyway, I think that, despite that 'heat of the moment thing' you may be up to something with Arnold after all. By now, he already had four years to think about that moment and rationalize your behavior towards him; he surely is doubtful about that excuse you said, and, if you start showing some occasional kindness…"

"He may realize it wasn't a 'heat of the moment' thing… and maybe find out his own feelings towards me!" Helga deduced, yet her excitement was short-lived. "Just one flaw in your master plan, Einstein; what if he really doesn't have any feeling towards me besides those secondary to his caring and friendly nature?"

"Girl, read less books and watch more TV; you use too many words."

"Sorry, hadn't found a way to talk without using words; maybe it's because that's why they got invented." Helga replied sarcastically.

"Well, anyway, just give it a try. Besides, your story already has a very bright side." Angelica got a sly grin.

"And what would it be, oh wannabe-wise guru surnamed after a sandwich ingredient?"

"That now someone had learned from your mistakes." Angelica explained as checking her nails. "If I had done something as intense as you did, Finster would faint or freeze at my confession and, when waking up, think it was a weird dream or have a nervous collapse. Now I know about that risk, and not wanting to come with such a bad lie, I can think about another tactic; I already started being nicer with him through my e-mails and I may start dropping hints so he doesn't get so shocked when I finally tell him the truth."

"In that case…" Helga sighed while rubbing her neck, "glad I could help you."

"You know what people say; one's misfortune is another one's lesson… okay, I'm making it up, but you get the idea." Angelica shrugged, Helga getting a sly grin a moment later.

"Good you think that way, philosopher, because it means now you owe me one."

Angelica wide-opened her eyes and looked at a smug-faced Helga before groaning.

"You'll gloat about that from now on, right?"

"Every time I can, Barbie."

**End Flashback.**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

As both Helga and Angelica thought about that conversation, Arnold, Gerald and Rhonda entered the room, the jock boy getting everyone's attention.

"Okay, guys, we're almost done with this school year's second week…"

"And it already feels like the second semester." Stinky complained out loud.

"… therefore, it's time for the annual coin flipping." Gerald continued as taking out a penny, almost everyone at the room getting an anxious look.

"Arnold chose last year, so now it's Rhonda's turn." Gerald placed himself between the blonde and the brunette and then flipped the coin up in the air.

"I chose… heads!" Rhonda exclaimed right before Gerald caught the coin and covered it with his other hand. He then revealed the coin and smiled.

"Maybe next year, Rhonda. Okay, people, Arnold won!"

"Party at Arnold's!" Sid exclaimed in happiness as the rest of the teens clapped and cheered.

"Okay, tomorrow at five at my place." Arnold said to everyone before nodding at a smiling Rhonda and doing his special salute with Gerald.

"Hello, newcomer here; care to explain?" Angelica raised her voice, obviously confused. Nadine turned at the girl to explain.

"Well, it is a little tradition we started in fifth grade. Among us, Rhonda and Arnold are the ones who always organize the best parties, and even she admits it; her parties are usually the formal type but, since a little incident at fourth grade, she learned to drop more casual ones once in a while and it's quite fun; for Arnold, well, party means open house; everyone and his dog is invited."

"So Helga is coming as well." Angelica smirked, Helga overhearing her and turning at the other blonde.

"Watch your mouth or I'll stop calling you 'Lady' and start with 'Little Tramp'."

"Sorry, Pataki; last time I checked, Chaplin had that title." Angelica replied. "So, this is an informal, neighborhood party, uh? Lucky you; it means you don't need a date to attend."

"I never need dates to attend a stupid party, Pickles; usually I just go with Phoebe here."

"My God, Pataki, you have more problems than I thought!" Angelica got a fake scared face and then turned at the petite girl. "Phoebe, if she's mean to you, my mother knows lawyers and they can arrange the divorce; once they're done with Pataki, we'll get her house."

Helga and Phoebe got stunned expressions at Angelica's obviously joking comment, as some classmates around them started laughing.

"I don't want to imagine their children!" Sid commented at Stinky, both boys chuckling. Unfortunately, Helga heard him.

"You'll not live to have yours if not shutting up, Shrimp!" Helga scowled the boy, who gulped and hide behind his taller friend while Phoebe looked down, obviously embarrassed. Angelica noticed the nerdy girl wasn't happy about the joke's implications and sighed.

"Hey, Phoebe, calm down; you know I'm just joking. Even if you're Pataki's friend, and probably her accomplice, I have no problems with you; that was just one little showing-off of my unlimited wits and capacity to come with a good sarcastic, ironic or insulting remark at almost everything I hear." Angelica's tone was so surprisingly honest Phoebe relaxed almost immediately.

"I accept your apology, and I take this chance to offer you a sincere one as well regarding any inappropriate action I could have performed in your prejudice; however, I must also insist on the cease of any uncaring or hurtful statement concerning my current association with Helga, even if done in a humorous tone and the intention is purely the personal entertainment or public amusement, as our relationship is strictly a friendly one and free of any hormonal impulse proper of individuals whose orientation, morality and desires, even if deserving all our respect, aren't within the usual biological and social ones, which means both Helga and I only feel attracted, in the way you suggested, by subjects carrying the Y chromosome."

Angelica blinked a few times at Phoebe's speech, Helga and a few others, Arnold and Gerald included, chuckling slightly at the short girl who achieved the impossible; succeeding in silencing Angelica for almost a full minute until the blonde finally came up with a half-decent reply.

"You don't come with subtitles?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"We're here, guys; please, don't faint." Rhonda announced Angelica, Nadine, Lila and herself arriving to the party, a few guys turning to whistle at them.

"Fancy delay, Princesses?" Helga, who was already at the party with Phoebe, gave them a little smirk. "You shouldn't; remember at midnight you change back into pumpkins."

"Yes, and you change back into vermin and still don't see you hurrying up, Horse Face." Angelica replied, Lila standing between her and Helga.

"Girls, please, don't start with that; we came to have fun."

"For once I agree with you, Miss Perfect." Helga shrugged and she and Phoebe went to the snacks table.

"Alright ladies, time to socialize." Rhonda said to her friends as they dispersed among the dancing and chatting crowd.

Angelica had to admit the party's setting was quite original; the boarding house's rooftop. Not exactly the best decoration but had lots of space, fresh air (as fresh as you can have in an urban area), and, weirdly enough, Arnold's grandparents and surrogate relatives were there as well animating the party, his grandma at the piano and Mister Hyun playing guitar while the others were attending and having fun with the other guests. Of course, it felt weird to have adults at a teens' party, but, as Nadine told Angelica, the party was open to practically everyone, as the blonde could corroborate when a few kids no older than 9 or 10 years were there as well alongside some of the neighborhood's adults; even the local butcher was there grilling some meat.

"_I have to take some pictures of this."_ Angelica thought as taking a few images with her cell phone while recriminating herself for not bringing her camera, that obviously could take pictures far better than the phone. Angelica chuckled silently while taking a picture of Harold and Patty dancing. _"If they were wearing ballet tutus those two would look exactly like the hippos from that Disney movie."_

"Hey, Pickles, what do you think you are; Variety columnist?" Helga, who was dancing a fast tune with Phoebe, said to Angelica when noticing what she was doing.

"No, I'm from Animal Planet; want to pose?" Angelica replied in a half-joking tone, Helga ignoring her and continued having fun. The Pickles girl then saw Arnold, who was dancing with a little dark-skinned girl around 8 or 9 years old.

"Hey, Arnold, isn't she a little bit too young?" Angelica addressed the party's host.

"Hi, Angelica; she's Timberly, Gerald's sister." Arnold made the introductions. "Timberly, she's Angelica, a new classmate."

"Hi. Arnold used to be my boyfriend." Timberly replied in the same cute and innocent way she conserved from her pre-school days, making Arnold to blush in embarrassment and Angelica to get a sly grin.

"You're a little precocious, don't you think?" Angelica chuckled and then turned at Arnold. "Okay, have fun with your date, Arnie, but not too much; I think there are a couple of girls in their cribs dreaming with you as well."

Arnold rolled her eyes while Timberly giggled and Angelica went to the snacks table, finding Gerald eating some nachos while looking at Phoebe dancing with Helga.

"Hi, Gerald; you came to chaperone your sister?"

"Uh… oh, hi, Angelica; I see you already met her." Gerald shook his head. "Timberly has a thing for older boys so, for her, it was dancing with either Arnold or Sid, and between us, I don't trust Sid that much."

"Don't exaggerate; I don't think he would look your sister that way."

"You don't know him that well." Gerald rolled his eyes while pointing at Sid, who was trying to flirt with a random girl, obviously ignoring Nadine wasn't that far from him.

"I see what you mean." Angelica started eating some stuff as well, and then looked back at Gerald, who was back to admiring Phoebe. "You like Miss Thesaurus, right?"

"Uh… eh… why do you say that?" Gerald replied a little nervously before eating a nacho.

"You just soaked that nacho on the punch bowl."

"I knew it was too sweet to be onion dip." Gerald groaned as throwing away the half-eating nacho.

"_It's just me, or having an unrequited crush is a non-written rule around here?"_ Angelica rolled her eyes, her expression brightening when getting an idea. "Would you like dancing with Phoebe?"

"Well… yes, but somehow I always get a little nervous when talking to her." Gerald confessed.

"Let me solve that; just remember, you'll owe me a favor." Angelica pointed as dragging Gerald. "Besides, I want to dance too."

Gerald, more than a little puzzled, started dancing with Angelica, both teens having good moves and rhythm. After a few minutes, when Gertie and Mister Hyun changed the tune, and realizing Helga and Phoebe were close enough, Angelica raised her voice.

"Everybody, exchange partner!"

The idea was welcomed by practically everyone but Helga, who blinked her eyes in shock when Phoebe was dragged away by Angelica so the pretty nerd ended with Gerald and the two blond girls were now dancing together.

"Criminey, Pickles, are you insane?" Helga said through gritted teeth.

"I don't enjoy this more than you, Pataki, but I like when people owe me favors, and right now Gerald owes me a big one." Angelica, without stopping her dance, pointed at Gerald and Phoebe. Helga gave them a fast look, getting a little smile at her best friend's happy expression that mimicked Gerald's perfectly.

"Guess you're right." Helga shrugged and then gave Angelica a playful smirk, "Just keep those hands away from me; I don't get that mushy on the first date."

"Very funny, Pataki; I don't date out of my species. Oh, by the way, get ready for the payment."

"What do you mean with 'payment'?"

"I don't want to owe you anything, so I'm paying that favor on next song. Just follow my lead on this." Angelica replied as they danced, some people giving them a surprised face but most focused entirely on their own dancing, especially Gerald and Phoebe.

When Angelica saw the short girl and the dark-skinned jock stopping their dance to go to the snacks table and chat, and noticed the song was ending, put her whole attention on Arnold, who now was dancing with Lila due the previous exchange.

"Change your partner again!"

Helga gasped yet couldn't do a thing as Angelica yanked Arnold away from Lila and put him in front of the other blonde, the Pickles girl leaving them alone to dance with the freckled redhead. The situation turned a little awkward since the tune changed at that moment and next one was a slow song.

"Hey, Lila, you don't care if we skip this one? I don't want getting a reputation." Angelica said to her friend. Lila was about to reply when Stinky appeared next to them.

"Excuse me, dear ladies, but I was wondering if Miss Lila would like dancing this tune with me."

"Sure, Stinky; see you later, Angelica." Lila waved bye to the blonde as she and Stinky started dancing and the Pickles girl left. Meanwhile, Helga was doing her best to fight nervousness.

"Uh… you know, Arnoldo, I don't have that much practice on slow dancing, so…"

"It's okay, neither do I but… I wouldn't mind dancing with you, I mean, if you're fine with that." Arnold rubbed the back of his neck while Helga felt her cheeks on fire.

"Oh, well, if Miss Bigmouth wanted to play a prank on us, at least this one isn't dangerous. Just don't step on my feet, Football Head." Helga said as placing a hand on Arnold's shoulder and the other on his waist.

"Whatever you say, Helga," The boy replied with his best kind smile while placing both hands a few inches above Helga's waist and they started dancing. Angelica watched the full scene from the snacks table, Gerald and Phoebe leaving her once realizing this song was a slow one and they both found the guts to ask each other for dancing.

"_Angelica, girl, you're a genius." _Angelica chuckled before realizing something. "_Hey, why I'm so happy? Now I'm the only one here without a dancing partner!"_

At that moment, a redhead girl on a scouts outfit arrived at the party, holding a tray with chocolate turtles and left it at the snacks table, Angelica's mood improving immediately.

"Chocolate!" The girl beamed as she was about to grab one of the sweet goodies, a black-haired short boy with a very anxious expression appearing from nowhere at that moment.

"Yes, yes, chocolate! Lots of it!"

"Hey, calm down, Sugar Junky!" Angelica glared at the boy. "These candies are for everyone! You can only have two."

"Only two?" The boy gave her a sad smile.

"Yes, but remember this," Angelica sly grinned as taking one chocolate turtle herself, "one is none, therefore two is half of one and three is just one, and, since we already established one is none, you can eat again."

The boy grinned in happiness as he and Angelica proceeded to clean the tray and Rhonda, who was dancing as well, looked at her direction.

"_You could__n't stop the exchanging thing after the first one?" _The brunette groaned, obviously not very happy with her current dancing partner.

"Oh, my dear empress, you dance with the grace of a thousand angels."

"Yeah, yeah… thanks for stating the obvious, Curly; and don't hug me that tightly!"


	10. Entertaining The Masses

**AN: **Before starting this chapter, Phoebe and I have something to tell you. (Yes. We have the social, moral and personal duty of expressing our best wishes due the celebration of Earth completing another translation cycle.) In other words, Happy New Year!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**- Entertaining the masses.**

"Come on, run, Wolfgang… faster, faster… oh, rats!" Coach Jack groaned in annoyance and frustration as one of his top players got tackled, Angelica slapping her forehead before snapping at Wolfgang.

"HEY, DOPE, WHAT I SAID ABOUT THE EXTRA LAP FOR EVERY MISSED CHANCE WAS SERIOUS!"

"Stupid girl…" Wolfgang growled silently as all the players got ready to continue the game, the first of the year. Practically the whole school was present.

"Criminey! Those morons can't play to save their lives!" Helga complained.

"Well, they still have some time left to score." Arnold, who was sitting next to Helga and behind Gerald and Phoebe, offered some popcorn to the blond girl. Since Gerald and Phoebe had been a lot more comfortable around each other since last week's party, he asked her to go to the game together, Helga using this as an excuse to sit with Arnold, something he wasn't complaining about.

"Nice optimism, Arnoldo, but unless Pickles and that fat coach of ours can do a miracle, I honestly doubt it." Helga replied after munching her popcorn. "And the fool we have as mascot isn't helping that much."

At field's level, the school's cheerleaders started making a pyramid but the mascot, a boy on a silly-looking elk disguise, collided with them while making a cartwheel, all the girls falling on top of him.

"I'm okay…"

"How come you're always right when it comes to negative things?" Arnold sighed, admitting Helga had a point.

"That's my job, Hair Boy; giving you an occasional dosage of reality." Helga shrugged. Arnold simply gave her a little smile in reply that Helga pretended to ignore even if, in her mind, the girl was dancing in a flowers field.

The memories of the party were still pretty fresh on both teens' minds; they danced practically the whole night, barely noticing when the rest of the guests started leaving or Harold complaining about Angelica and Chocolate Boy pigging out the chocolate turtles. Of course Helga still insulted Arnold at school, but it wasn't nearly as much as before, and she was a lot more civilized when talking with him plus cutting the spitballs to just one or two per class. Certainly, this was a big improvement over the last few years; after the 'incident' at the rooftop, Helga did her best to keep the 'heat of the moment' version, and treated Arnold as if nothing had ever happened, with him not trying to change the situation due the boy still feeling unsure about that confession.

Meanwhile, as Jack gave indications to his players, Angelica noticed some guys from the other team were giving her a flirty look and a few of them actually voiced their intentions.

"Hey, Blondie, want to hang out with real players?"

"Come on, I want to show you my own plays!"

Angelica frowned; Chuckie would never act that way, the boy being too polite, shy and decent to even think about doing it. She was about to snap her usual way when noticing some of these guys were also 'complimenting' and staring at Rhonda and Lila, who were on the first lines. The blonde smirked as getting a little idea and took out her cell phone, calling the brunette.

"Hey, Rhonda, can you and Lila help me up with something?"

A few moments later, a chuckling Rhonda agreed with Angelica and hung off; she then whispered the idea to Lila and to Nadine as well, since she was with them and may be useful; Patty was with the group too but the brunette doubted she wanted or could help them on this. Lila was a little hesitant, but, considering it was for the team's sake, agreed after a few minutes of convincing.

The game continued normally, but now Angelica, instead of yelling at her team's players, was giving obvious flirty looks at the other ones, the boys noticing and grinning at her. At the bleachers, Rhonda, Lila and Nadine started doing the same; of course Rhonda was far more obvious than the others, Lila limiting herself to simply waving her hand or giving a little smile to some players, but they all got noticed as well, even Nadine, who got the attention of a particularly tough looking boy.

"It's my imagination or the girls like the guys from the other school more than they support us?" Harold, visibly confused, asked to nobody in particular, the girls' actions so noticeable even he detected them. "Good thing I already have a girlfriend."

Angelica checked her watch, realizing they only had time for a last play, so it was time to execute the last part of her plan. When the boys formed the usual circle to discuss their next move, Angelica joined them at the field.

"Okay, Bozos, I have an idea so you guys don't fail and therefore don't make me look like the dumb helping train a bunch of losers." Angelica said to the players.

"But you don't know a thing about the plays! That's the coach's job; you only supervise the training and help him." Wolfgang pointed but Torvald, the team captain, cut him.

"At this point we can use any idea."

"Good; now, you guys just play as usual… but do it well this time! I'll get sure the other team can't stop you; just remember, don't pay any attention to the people at the bleachers or to me, no matter what you hear."

"That's fine, because I don't want hearing you anyway." Wolfgang rolled her eyes. Angelica gave him a very fake friendly smile.

"One question, Wolfgang; do you like girls?"

"Except you, yes, I like them."

"Great, because if you keep with that attitude I'll turn you into one," Angelica's predatory grin made Wolfgang to gulp and shut up while the other players nodded and Angelica returned to her place, Coach Jack giving the team the indications through signs for next play. The blonde then exchanged a fast glance with the other girls, and, when the play was about to begin, they all chorused loudly.

"**HEY, HANDSOME, SEE YOU AFTER THE GAME**!"

The result was immediate; half of the other team turned at the bleachers, forgetting about the game for a few seconds until Torvald and company charged at them, taking down practically everyone and allowing Harold, who was the one carrying the ball, to shove aside the only rival player who was actually paying attention and score the winning touchdown just one second before the game's end.

Everyone but the other team's fans (obviously) exploded in cheers and applause; Jack laughed loudly and got a large grin when Trish joined him at the field, the couple making a little victory dance; Eugene and the cheerleaders, despite their injuries, did their job jumping around and cheering; Gino, who being his usual self made a large bet against his own school, gritted his teeth in fury; and Helga used this as another perfect excuse, hugging Arnold tightly while laughing, the boy hugging her back until the girl broke contact.

"You know that was…" Helga's nervous explanation was cut by the boy.

"Heat of the moment, right?" Arnold smiled widely at the girl. Helga said nothing but smiled back at him before turning their attention back to the field, where Angelica was being carried by several players while she laughed loudly and turned at the losing team.

"Sorry, guys, but I don't date fools!"

"That Pickles is a pain, but at least she can be a pain to other people besides me." Helga thought out loud.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Lila, be nice and bring me a drink… and anything tasty you can find, no matter the calories." Angelica, panting, said to Lila as taking a seat at the cafeteria, the blonde wearing her barely used P.E. uniform.

"Sure, Angelica; guess that means you're no longer dieting?"

"Yeah, Lila, you got that right… now bring me that before I faint." Angelica soft glared at the other girl, who nodded and went to the food line. Rhonda, Nadine, Peapod, Lorenzo and Iggy sat at the same table a few moments later.

"I thought you didn't have to do all that exercise with the whole assistant couching thing." Iggy said to the blonde.

"Yes, academically, I don't… but with all those chocolate turtles, the pizza celebration after winning the game, this Chocolate Boy guy telling me where I can buy the best candy, and no longer taking the P.E. class, I gained almost four pounds in these last three weeks." Angelica said as getting her breath back. "I had been working out like crazy to get rid of that extra weight."

"Well, you could have taken it more easily to not exhausting yourself." Nadine commented.

"Are you kidding? I had to return to my proper weight as fast as humanly possible without a liposuction; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to eat candies next Halloween." Angelica smirked.

"So, that's your weakness, Pickled; sweet food?" Helga, who walked behind Angelica at that moment holding her own tray, chuckled at the other blonde.

"Yes, except coconut candies, that I don't like, and strawberry ones, that I'm saving for you." Angelica replied at a frowning Helga.

"Whatever; enjoy your lunch and then choke with it, please." Helga walked to her own table where Phoebe was already waiting.

"What's with the strawberry?" Lorenzo asked Angelica once Helga was out of hearing range.

"Ah, nothing but one more way to mock her taste for pink; and yes, I know strawberries are red, so just trust me." Angelica answered; since she and Helga had promised cutting the pranks, the Pickles girl decided to keep that allergy a secret so nobody could prank Helga that way; besides, it helped to keep that knowledge as a secret weapon in case she and Helga were back to more aggressive ways.

"Okay, guess it's time to move to another subject now that Lila is here." Rhonda got everyone's attention as Lila, just like she said, returned at that moment with her lunch bag and a tray for Angelica, the blonde's manners being the only thing that stopped her from wolfing down the mystery meat and eat it calmly… that, and the fact the main mystery was the type of animal.

"What's the topic, Rhonda; the winter collection?" Nadine rolled her eyes.

"Not a bad idea, Nadine, but it's a little too early for that." Rhonda replied as taking out a flyer. "The school's talent show will be in a week, so, if we're participating, must be totally sure of what acts we'll perform so nobody do the same ones; it would be as embarrassing as going to a party with a designer dress and find the host has the same outfit."

"Well, I'm thinking about reading a favorite poem of mine." Lila said.

"I thought about performing the bees' dance on stage; already have my disguise." Nadine beamed.

"I'll do a musical number; nothing too elaborated, of course, since I lack preparation time." Rhonda then turned at the boys at the table. "I need male dancers, and you guys would be perfect."

"Uh… Rhonda, maybe you should ask Eugene for that." Lorenzo got a slightly nervous look that mimicked Iggy and Peapod's.

"You know Eugene; he'll do his own dancing number with Sheena. They're already practicing." The brunette girl pointed at Eugene and Sheena, the couple dancing all around the cafeteria while holding their trays, something that obviously couldn't end well.

CRASH!

WHAM!

THUD!

"We are okay!" Sheena and Eugene chorused from the floor.

"When we'll start rehearsing?" Peapod turned at Rhonda, he and the other boys at the table sighing in resignation.

"Today at my place after school," Rhonda replied before turning at Angelica. "What about you, Angelica?"

"I have a little karaoke machine so I'll just sing a song." Angelica said in a happy tone; the girl simply loved being on stage.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Maybe I should start practicing my speech. No offense, Rhonda, but I'm sure I'm going to win." Angelica talked to her brunette girl, both of them backstage along with the rest of the participants waiting for their turn, now being the day of the show. The blonde was wearing a dark pink top, her usual bracelets, black jeans, and brown boots, her karaoke machine next to her, while Rhonda's outfit was a stylish white one.

"Sorry, Angelica, but my number will be the show's sensation." Rhonda replied in a snobbish yet friendly tone.

"Yeah, right; singing and dancing is so original practically 9 of 10 people here will do that." Helga appeared behind them; her outfit wasn't that special, the girl using everyday clothing.

"Helga? What, frowning is now considered a talent?" Angelica arched an eyebrow at the other blonde, visibly surprised.

"Funny one Pickles, and talking about funny, that's exactly my talent; I do comedy." Helga smirked at Angelica while Rhonda remained alert in case they started fighting again.

"That's actually logical; just looking at your face is enough to make people cry or laugh."

The coming argument was cut when Gerald and Arnold, with some help from Stinky, Harold and Sid, appeared moving a piano. Arnold and his best friend, the ones who were about to perform, were both using black formal suits.

"Why you guys don't switch to another instrument like harmonicas or bongos?" Sid complained.

"Why you're whining? I'm the one who did most of the moving here." Harold groaned, his statement actually truth. The performing boys greeted everyone thanked the troublesome trio, who went to their seats after they left the piano close enough to the stage for both Gerald and Arnold moving it by their own.

Phoebe joined the pretty large group of performers a couple of minutes later, the girl being one of the event's coordinators.

"Okay, friends, we'll start in a few moments. Now, as you probably know, the order you guys will perform will be decided randomly; I have a bag here with numbered balls to decide that. Everybody will pick a ball, and no, you can't change your turn with someone else."

"At least you used few-syllables words this time." Angelica smirked playfully at the Asian, getting a good-humored chuckle from everyone, even Phoebe. The improvised raffle started, every performer getting a ball; as Phoebe said, each one had a bright red number.

"Oh, great, I'm the last one." Helga groaned. On regular circumstances she wouldn't mind that much, but this was one of the rare occasions both her parents were among the audience; sure, it was mostly because Angelica and Rhonda's parents were there as well and Bob didn't want him and Miriam to look bad in front of his business' associates to the point he made his wife drink ten cups of coffee (and go to the bathroom) before the show.

"Too bad for you, Pataki; I'm right before you." Angelica smirked as showing her ball to Helga, who couldn't reply because of Curly's excited shout.

"Heavens had smiled to me, as Goddess Fortune blessed me with a chance to show my impressive skills before any of my performing companions!"

Rhonda groaned as Curly, dressed with a Shakespearian-like outfit, approached her.

"You have to talk like that? You're not even on stage yet!"

"Oh, my beloved and reverenced muse, the simple mortal at your service is a character actor. My high-level, cultivated, and perfectly practiced 'Hamlet' monologue will succeed on showing you my true capacities, winning your heart in the process." Curly said as standing on one knee, one hand over his heart, bowing respectfully in front of the brunette, everyone but her chuckling in amusement. "To be or not to be…"

"Get out of the closet!" Helga joked, getting some chuckling from everyone but Curly, who ignored her, and Rhonda, who by now had enough of her stalker's attention.

"Yeah, just go out there and break a leg… if you can, break the two of them." Rhonda groaned.

"Good; you all know your turn. I'll tell everyone we're ready to start." Phoebe left as Curly took out a chocolate bar for a quick pre-acting snack.

"What's in a name? A Mister Nutty by any other name would taste and stick to your teeth the same…"

"Now I think about it, it's quite good he's the first one; that way he'll be kicked out early." Angelica whispered at Helga, who actually agreed with her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The show continued the usual way these events go; some acts were really good while others were at some point between 'bad' and 'pathetic'. Helga got a lovesick face when Arnold sang, Gerald at the piano; luckily, nobody but Angelica and Phoebe noticed it.

"A Dino Spumoni's song… these boys need to update their repertory." Angelica rolled her eyes yet admitted the singing was good. The boys left the stage receiving a loud cheer from the crowd, their families, of course, being the more enthusiastic.

"Nice act, boys." Rhonda congratulated her friends before turning at her dancers, the three boys using formal outfits just like Arnold and Gerald, but theirs were a little more stylish. "It's our turn, guys; I already gave the tune to the sound people."

"Good singing, Football Head." Helga congratulated Arnold as well, the boy blushing a little bit before thanking her; Phoebe did the same with Gerald (minus the name calling, of course) a few moments later.

On stage, the Principal introduced the next act.

"And now, Miss Rhonda Wellington Lloyd, and her partners, Ignatius Lapine, Patrick Parrish and Lorenzo López, performing 'Material Girl', from Madonna."

"She isn't…" Angelica froze, barely reacting until music started and Rhonda and the boys mimicked all the moves from an old Madonna's video; sure, it wasn't exactly stylish or high-classed, but it was certainly popular and somehow classic, and, even if Rhonda wasn't singing, the moves and gestures were little less than perfect.

_**Some boys kiss me, some boys hug me  
I think they're O.K.  
If they don't give me proper credit  
I just walk away**_

_**They can beg and they can plead  
But they can't see the light, that's right  
'Cause the boy with the cold hard cash  
Is always Mister Right, 'cause we are**_

_**Living in a material world  
And I am a material girl  
You know that we are living in a material world  
And I am a material girl**_

"What do you know? Princess actually came with a good act." Helga commented to nobody in particular before noticing Angelica's state. "Pickles, this is the part where you come with a remark."

"No… this is the part where I stage-panic!" Angelica gulped. "I WAS ABOUT TO SING THAT VERY SAME SONG!"

"WHAT?" Helga was surprised at her own tone that actually sounded worried. "I thought you Popular Clowns had agreed on not repeating acts!"

"That's right; and yes, Rhonda has her moments but she would never do something that low." Arnold, who was watching the show next to the girls and could hear them perfectly, addressed Angelica.

"Yes, but we never really talked about each number's specifics!" Angelica groaned. "I mean, what were the chances of us choosing the same song?"

"Girl, that tune fits both Lloyd and you perfectly; I'm surprised you don't use it as a personal theme song or something," Helga smirked at Angelica, the other blonde rubbing her temples.

"Good point." Angelica growled. "Now I have to choose another song… and I practiced this one so much!"

"Too bad insults don't count as a talent." Gerald shook his head. "You don't need any practice with those."

Angelica was about to reply when her expression brightened and looked back at Helga, the other blonde guessing what she was thinking.

"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?" Angelica smirked at Helga.

"I think so, Brainless, but I have no time or a vehicle to drop your corpse at the woods." Helga frowned at the shorter blonde. "Now, seriously, why I should help you?"

"Because it would… spice your own number," Angelica said in her best convincing tone. "And trust me; your parents will never forget this."

Helga had to give Angelica credit; she knew how to negotiate.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Not surprisingly, Rhonda and his companions got a very loud ovation from the crowd; even Miriam was awake enough to notice most of the number and enjoyed it, partly due her liking this song and also thanks to the Red Bull she drank a few minutes ago. The only exception was Bob, who obviously was there mostly to keep an image in front of the Lloyds and the Pickles.

"_Why the girls couldn't be the first ones? That way we would be out of here in no time, or at least I would have a__n excuse to get some fresh air."_ Bob thought, doing his best to keep a more or less amused face, especially when Charlotte noticed Angelica was on stage and Drew got ready with his video camera; Angelica's father had already taped some of the best acts, and Brooke had just asked him for a copy of Rhonda's performance.

"Good evening, Hillwood!" Angelica said to the microphone in her best wannabe-rock star tone while Arnold connected the karaoke machine to a speaker. "I hope you guys like this old yet good one. Play number 25, Arnold."

The blond boy did as she said and left the stage, everyone recognizing the tune before Angelica started singing.

"_**I've paid my dues; Time after time; I've done my sentence; but committed no crime. And bad mistakes; I've made a few; I've had my share of sand kicked in my face; But I've come through…"**_

From Angelica's expression, it was obvious the girl was enjoying herself… sadly, she and her parents were the only ones doing it! The blonde's singing had a lot of passion, but lacked everything else; her naturally loud voice was great for yelling or bossing, and she knew how to use it in a calming or convincing way, but was awful for singing, to say the least.

"I used to like this song!" Stinky complained as covering his ears.

"It sounds like nails scratching a blackboard in my brain!" Harold groaned, his hands holding his head.

"I don't think the girl should sing if having laryngitis." Gertie commented to nobody in particular.

"Even the voices in my head aren't that loud!" Curly said through gritted teeth.

"Last time I heard something like that was during war; we called it 'aerial attack alarm'!" Phil gritted his few remaining teeth; the only reason nobody was booing at Angelica was because almost everybody were busy covering their ears, so the girl kept singing.

"_**We are the champions –my **__**friends; and we'll keep on fighting –till the end. We are the champions –we are the champions; No time for losers, cause we are the champions –of the world…"**_

Everyone's ears, and a lot of fond memories, were saved by Helga entering the stage, turning off the karaoke machine. Angelica turned at her, frowning.

"What do you think you're doing, Pataki?"

"Saving my eardrums and sanity, Pickles!" Helga, despite not having a microphone, was perfectly heard due her own loud voice and the stage's sound system. "Anyone enjoying that 'karaoke' must be a 'kamikaze', because it's more awful than the 'hara-kiri'!"

"You're just jealous of my siren-like voice." Angelica folded her arms and turned her back at Helga.

"Yes, it sounds like a siren, but an ambulance one!"

"_Tell her, girl!"_ Bob thought and got a little grin, more than glad someone had silenced Angelica, and even a little surprised the one doing it was his daughter. A few people who had uncovered their ears were now chuckling slightly at Helga's remarks.

"Okay, I admit I need a little more practice, but consider I sing by ear." Angelica shrugged.

"I knew that noise couldn't come from a throat."

"My singing is almost perfect! It's just that your hearing can't appreciate it; your musical taste must limit to burping contests." Angelica smirked at Helga, who smirked back and got a little closer.

"Next to that singing, a burping contest sounds like Pavarotti at his best! Better go sing outside or everyone at the street will think we're killing a pig in here!"

"Then you don't get out, or they'll think we are hosting a Horror Movies Convention!"

"At least my voice isn't sonic garbage!"

"The whole you is garbage!"

"You're less than garbage!"

"You admire garbage!"

"You wish you were garbage!"

"Garbage laughs at you!"

By now, all the teens backstage and among the crew were either laughing or anxious, remembering the way Helga and Angelica ended doing the first time they had an argument like this one. The adults, of course, ignored this, and they all started laughing, thinking it was just like any other act, not even suspecting the only part of it that was planned was Helga interrupting Angelica's song, the girls coming with the insults as they thought them.

"What can you know about art anyway? Only beauty can appreciate beauty." Angelica got a proud tone.

"Yes, your face looks like a work of art; a Picasso." Helga made her most awful face while pressing her own cheeks.

"Keep that face; looks way better than your usual one."

"Well, eat your heart, Sucker; for your information, when I was a little younger made the cover for several magazines."

"Oh, let me guess; 'MAD', 'Fangoria', 'National Geographic', 'New England Medical Journal'…"

"Hey, I was being serious!" Helga growled at Angelica.

"I'm too when saying you had always been so ugly that, when you were born, the doctor dropped you at a bucket because confused you with the placenta."

"Well, when you were born the doctor couldn't decide if he was attending a birth or an exorcism!"

"You are so ugly that if Olympics had an ugly persons' competition…"

"… I would win, right, Miss Obvious Insult?" Helga smirked, Angelica replying the same way.

"No; you'd get disqualified because professionals can't compete."

"Yeah, whatever; why don't leave the stage? It's my turn now, and I have no time to lose arguing a loser."

"Well, I have time, so continue, please. On second thought, you leave; stage isn't big enough for us."

"The Roman Coliseum isn't big enough for you and your ego; it's Godzilla-sized!"

"They we're even; if my ego has its size then you have its attitude… no, skip that; next to you, Godzilla is Barney."

"You know, why don't you try developing another talent and return next show? Seriously, you sing just as well as Thomas Edison."

"Edison was no singer, ignorant!"

"Neither are you." Helga smirked while poking one of her ears. "Honestly, your singing sounds like a moose mating call."

"Guess that explains why you hadn't left," Angelica replied, folding her arms and frowning at Helga. "You messed with my singing, so now I'm staying here, Fool Famishing Flamingo!"

"You really are stubborn! Have you ever considered participating in mule racing?"

"Great idea, let's do it together; I ride and you run!"

By now, the laughter was general; even those expecting the girls to physically fight each other were too busy enjoying the insults' exchange to think about it.

"Well, if you're not leaving, at least don't mess with my act and move a little far from me." Helga said to Angelica, who moved back a few steps. "Move a little more. More... a little more… more..."

"How far I have to move away?"

"Do you have a car?"

"When I get one, I'm putting you in front of it!" Angelica fumed as approaching Helga again. "And what's your talent, anyway? If it's being annoying, rude and disgusting, congratulations, you already won."

"No, Pickles-For-Brains; I'm a comedian."

"Please tell me you're a slapstick one, because I so want to slap you right now."

"Do it and nobody will find your body," Helga growled before getting a smooth look. "And, for your information, I do impressions and impersonations."

"Can you impersonate a chimp?"

"Why, are you missing a friend?" Helga smirked at Angelica, who kept silence for a moment before turning at the crowd and pointing at the other blonde.

"Wow, she's good."

"HEY!"

"That was even better! Do you want a banana?" Angelica grinned mockingly at Helga while the crowd laughed, the Pataki girl getting a sly smile almost immediately.

"You just gave me an idea for my act, Pickles." Helga cleared her throat and then made a quite convincing impression of Angelica's voice. "Hello, everybody; I'm Angelica Pickles; my best friends are Mister Bun and Miss Lettuce; we meet on weekends to make sandwiches."

Angelica was taken back at Helga's display; the impression so well done it seemed to come from a Pickles girl's voice tape. The Pataki blonde then addressed the audience again, frowning at them.

"And you fools should know by now this is my world and you just live on it; by the way, I'm starting collecting rent next week. Now, if you excuse me, I have to get out to the street; it's raining, and I know lightning comes from angels' cameras trying to get a picture of me." Helga wasn't just mimicking Angelica's voice but all her mannerisms and body language. When people started clapping at her, even Angelica joined them.

"Hey, that was impressive, Pataki; guess after all we are like two drops of water." Angelica got back her mocking grin. "The difference is that I'm from a mountain spring and you're from the fishbowl."

"Well, Miss Sympathy, if you're so talented, why don't you try mimicking me?" Helga, back to her normal voice, smirked back at Angelica, who rubbed her chin in thought before addressing the crowd.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, my impression of Helga Pataki," Angelica cleared her throat, took a deep breath and…

Everybody but Helga laughed when Angelica stood on four and started barking, growling and snarling.

"**Woof, woof!** Football head! **Grrr!** Move over, suckers! **Bark, Bark!** Criminey! **Howwl!**"

"My next impression is my favorite; a veterinarian." Helga said to the audience in a dull tone before looking down at Angelica and yelling in rage. "YOU'RE GETTING NEUTERED!"

Helga jumped at Angelica, the smaller blonde avoiding her at the last moment by rolling away. The blondes stood up and Helga started chasing Angelica around the stage.

"Now we're doing a Tom and Jerry impression?" Angelica said as trying to avoid Helga's hands; this wasn't acted, as almost everyone thought; Helga was angry enough to, at least, strangle Angelica a little bit.

"No, we're doing a 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' re-enactment; and I'm playing Leatherface!"

"So that's why you had been using that mask you call a face; you really live your role!" Angelica couldn't say anything more since Helga finally grabbed her by the shirt with her right hand; the taller blonde drew back her left fist but the punch never came as everyone erupted in clapping and cheering. The blondes looked at the crowd and Helga relaxed and smiled broadly when noticing her parents were standing up like everyone else; the Pataki girl couldn't remember the last time Bob and Miriam looked so happy due something she had done. Once Helga released Angelica, the girls shrugged at each other and bowed at the audience.

"Live, from Hillwood, is Saturday Night!" Angelica exclaimed, the crowd laughing even more and Helga rolling her eyes.

"You couldn't resist, uh?" The Pataki girl waved to the audience and started leaving after a minute or so but stopped when noticing Angelica was still bowing, thanking and throwing kisses.

"Criminey, you're waiting for the critics' review or what?" Helga snapped at her 'partner' before comically dragging Angelica out of the stage, getting a few more extra laughs.

"Remember to tip the waiter, and have a nice drive home! We'll be here all week…"

"Of course we'll be, Gag-gelica; this is our school, remember?!" Angelica's final words were cut by Helga, producing a final general laugh, before she finally got the shorter blonde backstage.

"Girls, that… that was great." Arnold greeted the girls backstage, doing an effort to hold his own laughter. Practically all the other performers were there as well, congratulating both Helga and Angelica.

"Yes, it was until Miss Self-Restrain here almost murdered me on stage." Angelica pointed at Helga, who replied with a knowing smirk.

"See the bright side; you would be tomorrow's headline."

"Yes… and you would be taken to the pound and put to sleep later." Angelica smirked back at Helga.

"So, you two are finally becoming friends?" Arnold asked them, a little bit too hopeful. The girls turned at him, giving the boy a weird look.

"Better start saving, Arnold; you'll need a fortune to get that head of yours examined." Angelica commented.

"Yes, Hair Boy; I'll rather drink poison than getting all buddy-buddy with this girl." Helga added. "Friends…"

"**Think again, Football Head!" **Helga and Angelica chorused perfectly, covering their mouths when realizing it, everyone around them but Arnold laughing at this display while the football headed boy wide opened his eyes and then rolled them yet got a little smile.

"That's just what I wanted; a new stereo."


	11. A Night to Remember

**- A Night To Remember.**

"So, did you guys like the video?" Angelica, resting on her bed, asked to the person the other side of the phone line.

"Yes, we did, and somehow were expecting to hear '_Eye of the Tiger'_ as background music; by the way, thanks for sending it by express mail. You know, hearing you insulting someone is kind of funny when I'm not at the receiving end." The chuckling, nasal male voice replied.

"What can I say? Pataki is more dislikable than acne on prom night, but we have our moments. Before meeting her, I'd never had such a good sparring partner… in more ways than one." Angelica smiled while rubbing her side, remembering the fight at the park.

"I thought I was your sparring partner... at least, verbally."

"No, you're my punching bag." Angelica chuckled. "You never return the hits… except for those rare times you get a spine and argue back; when that happens, you always win."

"Yes, but those occasions are as rare as a Texan democrat." Angelica laughed softly at the boy's remark. "What surprised me the most is that this Helga girl really exists; thought it was another of your stories to scare me."

"Please, only Stephen King would imagine someone like Pataki, I mean, when I've invented something like that?"

"You said the bathtub drain could suck people; that the scary man of the oat cereal box was moving to the neighborhood; that I was mutating into a clown; that if eating a watermelon's seed the whole fruit would grow in my belly and make me explode; that chicken-pox turned kids into real chicken; when I got scabs you said I was transforming into a rhino; you said that 'the cat got your tongue' was a literal expression; when my dad got me a werewolf disguise for Halloween, you said that I would turn into a real one; you told everyone I was an alien and the only way to prove contrary was soaking me with a garden hose; you said us left-handed people are circus freaks, you said the purpose of a garage sale was emptying the house and because of that we accidentally sold your uncles' living room… you can stop me whenever you want."

"Why I should stop you? I love those memories." Angelica laughed a little bit and the boy did it as well.

"You're hopeless."

"Now you're stealing my lines? I don't think that's such a good idea."

The girl and the geek laughed loudly at each one using the other's most known phrase. Angelica sighed happily after a few moments and went back to talking.

"Well, I leave you now; try to not cry at my absence."

"It's too late for that."

Despite the joking tone, Angelica got the impression that statement had a little truth; the boy was a lousy liar.

"Take care, Angelica; believe it or not, I miss you and your voice. Phil thinks I must be crazy because I'm the only one hearing you singing at the video more than once."

"Then you have a better musical taste I gave you credit for."

"Yes… but I'm getting deaf of my right ear."

"You're so lucky I also miss this constipated voice of yours, Finster. Take care, okay?"

"I will; bye, Angie."

The blonde ended the call and got a little smile. She couldn't call home as much as she wanted due the phone's bill (her parents already spent a little fortune without her chats) but certainly enjoyed it; again, even if also talking with her cousins, Susie and the others, she was talking with Chuckie the most, using the same advice she gave to Helga, teasing and mocking him as usual but also complimenting and having civil conversations with the boy, just as she did through the e-mails.

"Well, Fluffy, it's time to do something productive, like my homework." Angelica said to her cat before dialing another number at her phone. "Hello, Lila. It's me, Angelica; look, I have something very important to do tonight; can I borrow your homework tomorrow? Thank you, girl; see you later." Angelica hung off the phone and looked back at Fluffy. "Homework is done; time to move to more important stuff."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Thanks for the help, Pheebs." Helga said as stretching her arms, the blonde sitting on her bed.

"My pleasure, Helga; besides, you don't need that much assistance. You're quite good at Math and English." Phoebe, sitting next to Helga, closed her books.

"Yes, but I'm terrible with History; anyway, who cares about a bunch of old men who lived when even my grandparents weren't born?" Helga shrugged and stood up, walking to her closet, "Time to move to our next project."

"I'm intrigued that you have such an interest in your Halloween disguise; sure, you used to care a lot when we were younger and could get a significant amount of free candy, but even then you never started working so many days ahead."

"Well, Phoebs, even if I don't like parties that much, especially since Dorkelica will be there, guess it wouldn't be so bad if going, and, if I'm doing it, the least I can do is having a cool disguise." Helga shrugged as taking out a box with assorted clothing.

"And the fact there will be 'ice cream' at the party is a little extra incentive, uh?" Phoebe gave Helga a knowing smile, the blonde grinning a little bit in reply.

"Depends; you are going due the 'chocolate', right?"

Phoebe blushed as getting a shy smile. Helga shook her head and dropped the box next to the bed.

"Okay, I have some parts of my old disguises and assorted clothing here; that may give us an idea for my Halloween image."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Helga would faint or get a shocked state if knowing Angelica was doing pretty much the same thing.

"Luckily my parents brought this; I may be able to turn this old junk into a half-decent disguise." Angelica commented at her cat as opening a medium-sized chest. The girl took out an old paper crown, put it on her head and turned at her full-body mirror. The girl smirked and got a proud pose and an authoritarian tone.

"Off with their heads!" Angelica cackled before removing the crown, "Nah, too predictable."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What about this one, Helga?" Phoebe put a medium-sized mirror in front of her friend, the blonde donning a black cape.

"Children of the night; what a beautiful music they make." Helga made her best Bela Lugosi's impersonation, "Nah, too common."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Angelica changed her hairdo, with the help of some gel, to resemble pointy ears and got a sly grin.

"I'm Catwoman; hear me roar. Meow," Angelica got her best flirty tone before changing her hair back to normal; "No; too comic book geek."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Helga used an old hairnet, getting a hairdo similar to the one she had when playing Juliet at the school play several years ago.

"Oh, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore is you, Romeo?" Helga smiled at her reflex before frowning a little bit and getting rid of the hairnet, "No; too Curly-ish."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Angelica put back the crown, and this time was also holding a little stick.

"I'm Angelica; I'm a Pickles; and I'm your… FAIRY GODPARENT!" Angelica laughed at the last part before giving herself another look, "Nope; too childish."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Helga was now using Miriam's old wedding dress and holding a plastic axe, looking at herself at the mirror and humming the Wedding March.

"No; too much childhood trauma."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Angelica now used an old hat and a large fake pearls' necklace with a feathered boa around her shoulders.

"I'm ready for my close-up… no, too old fashioned."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Helga was now doing some karate-like moves, Phoebe chuckling silently at her, while wearing a black wig, Bob's lucky belt, and a towel around her shoulders. The girl stopped to pose and make another impression.

"Thank you, thank you very much!"

Phoebe now was openly laughing, Helga chuckling a little as well while removing the disguise. "No; too underweighted for this one."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Angelica, wearing a fedora and a towel that served as a cape, stood in front of the mirror getting a heroic posture.

"I'm the terror that flaps in the night! I'm the coconut-filled chocolate between the peanut ones. I am… discarding this one; too Disney Afternoon."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Helga, wearing boxing gloves, threw a few punches while looking at the mirror; she then cleared her throat and made her best Sly Stallone's voice.

"Arnold! Arnold!"

"Helga, I think it is 'Adrian'." Phoebe arched an eyebrow at her friend, who realized her mistake and chuckled nervously.

"Uh, yeah… okay, this one is too brutish, and don't want to make it seem I'm looking for a fight with Pickles." Helga then whispered at Phoebe. "And Pheebs… that display, never happened."

"Forgetting."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Angelica, wearing a head band, and painting a lipstick line on each cheek, twisted her mouth a bit while glaring at her reflex.

"I'm your worst nightmare… no, too bad for my poor mouth." Angelica groaned before cleaning the lipstick lines. "I'll better leave those impersonations to Pataki."

Angelica froze at the spot and then wide opened her eyes, getting a sly smile.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

A few nights later, Helga checked her disguise, getting a satisfied grin; at the end, she decided on an outfit she once dreamed herself wearing it. The girl was wearing a golden-painted outfit, consisting on bracelets, body armor, and a Viking-like helmet, horns and all.

"_Thanks, Phoebe."_ Helga mentally thanked her currently absent friend, admiring the Valkyrie disguise; Phoebe and she worked a lot on it, and the result was quite good. The Asian didn't need assistance on her own disguise since she was going as a samurai girl; Phoebe just needed a kimono, her kendo sword as an accessory, and wearing her hair in a bun with some sticks on it.

Helga started walking downstairs when someone rang the doorbell, which surprised the blonde; everybody knew Bob was too much of a cheapskate to give candy to children, and Miriam usually was sleeping so didn't hear the doorbell anyway, therefore no neighborhood kid lost time asking for candy at the Pataki place.

"If it's a pesky 'treat or trick' kid, I'll show him or her that Big Bob Pataki doesn't give anything for free." Bob, groaning and ignoring Helga, walked to the door. When opening it, he almost yelled at the persons outside but froze when realizing who was there.

"Happy Halloween, Mister Pataki."

"Hi, sir; I'm a princess; Treat or Trick."

Helga looked from the stairway, already recognizing the voices, even the second one, this one coming from a younger girl; the blonde almost fainted when getting a more clear sight. Timberly was there, wearing a princess disguise, and behind her, Angelica, who was wearing a pink sleeveless dress over a white shirt, her hair in two pigtails and a large pink bow on top of her head, plus a thick unibrow painted over her natural eyebrows.

"Uh… eh… hello… you… Angelica, right?" Bob finally got his voice back.

"_So, you remember her name and still forget mine; you're the father of the year, Bob."_ Helga thought while Angelica talked to the man.

"Yes, Mister Pataki; I'm taking care of this girl tonight. Now, if you can give her some candy, and a little bit for my cousins who couldn't come, we would appreciate it." Angelica said as holding her own bag. Bob, who didn't have any candy for children, excused himself to go to the kitchen. Helga approached the girls when the man was gone.

"Hi, Helga; I like your disguise." Timberly greeted the Pataki girl.

"Yeah, yeah, your disguise is nice too." Helga then arched her unibrow at Angelica. "Alright, Pickles, what's the big idea?"

"Well, I needed a scary disguise and you're Hillwood's scariest-looking person." Angelica shrugged. "And since I saw some of your old pictures last time I visited…"

"Fine, I get it; and why are you taking care of the Disney Princess?"

"Gerald's parents wanted him to take care of Timberly during her 'treat or trick' walk, and he wanted to be early at the party… you know why," Angelica smirked at Helga, who got a little knowing grin, "so, I offered him to play nanny for a while; I like arriving with a fancy delay anyway so I'm getting free candy and ten dollars for a two-hours collect."

"Yes, Angelica is getting a lot of candy for us. She keeps telling people she has two cousins that couldn't come and we get some extra." Timberly grinned widely while Angelica took out a picture of herself and her cousins, showing it to Helga.

"I'm carrying this in case people don't believe me; since they're really my younger cousins, and aren't coming with us, I'm technically telling the truth. Of course, it will be difficult to send them the candy, so I'll need to sacrifice myself and eating it all."

"You'll become a lawyer someday?" Helga couldn't help but laugh.

"Maybe; only problem with this trick is that some people give us apples instead of caramels." Angelica took out a plastic bag with apples on it. "Want them?"

"They aren't poisoned, witch?"

"Nope; poisoned apples are for princesses, not for dragons."

"I'm thinking about another way to call you, but there's a little girl present." Helga frowned yet accepted the apples; with Miriam never preparing breakfast and Helga usually waking up too late to make it, apples, bananas and other fruits were her usual morning meal on school days. Bob arrived at that moment with two microwavable popcorn bags.

"I have no candy but these are caramel flavored." Bob gave the bags to the girls, both of them thanking him.

"We're leaving now. See you at the party, Pataki; I like your cow outfit." Angelica said as she and Timberly walked away waving bye.

"_Worst thing is that I can't insult that disguise without insulting myself."_Helga soft-growled before dropping the apples at the kitchen; meanwhile, Bob sighed in relief as going back to the living room.

"Good thing I still had that popcorn; wouldn't like to explain the Pickles why I didn't give candies to her daughter."

"I'm going to the party, Bob; see you later." Helga said as walking to the door.

"Hey, girl, I never gave you permission…"

"It's at the Lloyds' place."

"Uh… well… hurry up, girl! You don't want to be late!"

"_At least now I have a way to silence you, Bob," _Helga soft-chuckled while closing the door, spotting Angelica talking to one neighbor just a few houses away.

"Are you telling me you don't have candy for a sweet little girl who waited a whole year for this day?" Angelica pointed at Timberly while frowning at the man. "Who do you think you're; Halloween's Scrooge?"

"I… I'll give you girls a dollar each." The man took out a wallet.

"You obviously don't know how much chocolate bars cost these days, mister."

The man sighed as taking out five dollars and some spare change, Helga overhearing and holding laughter on her way to the party.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

About an hour and a half-later, Helga was having the time of her life dancing with Arnold, people already so used to them being together at times she didn't feel any threat to her reputation. The boy was using a Union soldier outfit his grandma made for him; weirdly enough, she did it three months ago and didn't think about Halloween when doing it.

Everyone around the blondes was having fun as well. Stinky, in a vampire disguise, was dancing with Lila, wearing a Southern belle outfit; Gerald, using a (obviously) larger version of his old Man In Black style outfit, was dancing with Phoebe just a few feet away from their best friends; Harold, in a caveman disguise, was eating some snacks with Patty, who was wearing a boxer outfit (something that made Helga happy about not choosing the Rocky disguise), plus keeping an eye on Chocolate Boy, whose disguise consisted on fake antennas and a black sweater (he claimed to be a black ant), so he couldn't eat all the candies; Sid, disguised as a pirate, said a few flirting comments to some random girls (daughters of Mister Lloyd's associates) until Nadine, in a ladybug costume, arrived at the house so they were now dancing as well; Rhonda, in a predictable princess dress, was playing host chatting with everyone; Brainy, wearing a ninja disguise, looked at Helga and Arnold from a corner while Lorenzo, in a soccer player outfit, and Iggy, wearing a hunter one, chatted with some random girls, Peapod in a cowboy costume already dancing with a brunette disguised as a witch; Sheena, loyal to her hippy-like style, was dressed as if attending Woodstock while dancing with a mummy-disguised Eugene, some of the bandages used because they were actually necessary due a minor poison ivy accident that same morning; most of the football team was there too, except for Wolfgang and Ed, who usually disliked spending time with the former 'fourth grade losers' anyway.

"It seems the whole gang is here except for Curly and Angelica." Arnold commented to Helga while they took a rest, sitting at a large couch next to a window.

"Well, Pickles said she would be late, and I doubt Princess Lloyd invited our little maniac." Helga shrugged. At that moment, in a perfect cue, the window opened and Curly stepped inside the house; he was shirtless, covered in orange body paint with some black stripes, and wearing cargo pants and army boots.

"Sorry I'm late; by the way, if someone asks you guys about five zebras, ten spider monkeys, two water buffalos and an alligator on the loose, you know nothing." Curly said to the blonde couple, who simply nodded at him; the boy spotted Rhonda at that moment and dashed to her encounter. "My dear, I've arrived; guess my invitation got lost on the mail."

"No, it didn't; and for more security I was tempted to shot the mailman." Rhonda groaned at Curly, who simply ignored her and kept following the girl all around the place.

"They make a nice pair; he belongs to the loony bin and she is following him pretty soon." Helga rolled her eyes, Arnold chuckling at her comment.

"Yes, I think he would have a better chance if not being that obsessive and stopped playing stalker." Arnold shook his head, not noticing Helga's slight gulp.

"Y-yeah, I mean, who wants someone stalking you, watching your every action from a distance and making a chewed bubblegum statue of you?"

"Uh?" Arnold turned at a paling Helga.

"Sounds like something Curly would do, isn't it?" Helga shrugged while getting a nervous smile; Arnold didn't notice or decided to ignore that.

"Oh, well; want some punch?"

"Sure, Football Head; thanks." Helga got a relieved smile that Arnold replied with a shy grin before going to the refreshments table. The girl stood up after a few seconds to close the window Curly left open.

"_This disguise is cool but not exactly fitting for October's weather." _Helga was about to close the window when noticing a pink spot approaching the house as Angelica, now without Timberly or her own bag (she obviously left it at her place after dropping the little girl at home) was about to arrive. _"And look who's finally coming; maybe I'll not mess with her this time… on the other hand, I've thought about a few very good insults."_

Helga's thoughts were cut when a short figure, followed by two bulky ones, approached Angelica, taking the girl to an alley the other side of the block. The girl got an alarmed face and turned to ask for help, finding Arnold returning with the punch.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What do you want, Gino? If it's my opinion about your disguise, well, I can't say because you already dress as a third-rate Godfather every day." Angelica growled at the short guy while struggling to escape his two goons' grip. "And keep your gorillas on a leash."

"My, Miss Pickles, you're disappointing me. I thought you liked businesses." Gino, tasting a lollipop, turned at the girl, giving her a smooth look.

"What kind of business?" Angelica arched an eyebrow at the boy while the thugs released her. She barely had exchanged words with Gino since she arrived to the city, but Rhonda already had warned her about the boy's gangster-like ways.

"Well, you see, I'm an honest business man; I provide a valuable service to our fellow students by organizing amusing activities for them, and providing financial assistance when they need it…"

"Yes, you organize bets and loan money; I already know that. Just tell me what you want, pint-sized Capone." Angelica folded her arms.

"Right to the point; that's a good quality. Okay, as you say, I handle large amounts of money, and get a reasonable profit from my activities… however, since you arrived, my wallet had been suffering significant hits." Gino's tone was now more upset than condescending. "First of all, that fight with Patty; it was so hard to lose after the first minute but before the third one?"

"Excuse me, but I like my head right where it is."

"And then the football game… that was a major lost! The team hadn't won the first game of the season in five years, and you arrive and that change!"

"It's not my fault my help make those players a little bit less incompetent…oh, wait, yeah, as coach assistant, that's actually my job." Angelica growled at the boy.

"But it's your fault I lost so much money! I'm still recovering from that game, and I'll not be able to bet on next one." Gino growled back. "However, I still considered not messing with you because there was a chance of you making me recover part of my investment. In case you don't know, a good amount of students had been betting on you and Helga's next fight."

"Who do you think we are; Ali and Foreman?" Angelica snapped at the boy, her tone actually making the three boys to jump in surprise and fear, until Gino recovered.

"Nice comparison; and yes, I had similar expectations. However, since your little act at the talents show, most people no longer see you two as rivals."

"Well, we aren't exactly friends either; more like, associates by convenience."

"I can see that, but regular persons don't understand the business approach; because of that, many bets had been retired, and each one means less cash for me. So, I'm proposing you a deal." Gino cleared her throat. "You'll taunt and tease Helga as much as you can until she finally loses patience; at that moment, you'll challenge her to a fight, just like Patty did with you. I'll even allow you set the time and day of the duel as long as it's before December, so you can get ready and I have time to arrange the betting again. Then, right before the fight, I'll tell you who's the favorite, since I'll bet for the other one; if you're the favorite, just let Helga beat you fast and you'll not get badly hurt, and, if she's the one, I'm sure you can come with a clever cheat to defeat her. We'll divide the profits after the fight, 60-40; we have a deal?"

Angelica got a thoughtful expression for a few moments, Gino and his thugs watching her with interest. The girl finally made her choice.

"No, forget about it."

"Why not? Forty percent is a lot more any of my former associates had ever received." Gino tried convincing her again.

"I don't doubt it, but I can't, and I'll not fight Pataki; I already have a deal with her, and I'm respecting it. Besides, maybe I can't stand the girl, and probably will never do it, but don't want to hurt her for real; insults aside, there's a certain understanding between us, and I'm not exposing my teeth breaking hers just for a two cents Don King offering a cheap pay-per-view."

Gino got his largest scowl ever, his thugs cracking their knuckles in front of the blonde.

"If you hurt me, my parents will tell the police, and you'll finish High School behind bars." Angelica glared at the trio while looking for a way to escape.

"My family has several contacts as well, Pickles, so that's an empty threat. Besides, after my boys are done with you, I doubt you'll be able to speak again."

Angelica clenched her fists and walked a few steps back while Gino moved aside, the thugs slowly approaching her.

"_Intimidated by someone way larger than me and with no way to escape…__ thank you, Karma,"_ Angelica thought, more scared than she was showing; the girl could face Patty because she agreed on not really hurting her, and later could fight Helga one-on-one because they were equally furious, but, against two huge guys at once, Angelica knew she had little chances.

"Get your thugs away from her, Gino!"

Angelica got a relieved expression and Gino an angry one when spotting Arnold standing behind them and Helga at his side, the blonde couple glaring at the wannabe-gangsters.

"You heard the boy, Buckos; leave Pickles alone." Helga snapped at the thugs, who forgot about their prey and gave her and Arnold full attention.

"Why you keep messing with my legitimate business, Arnold? What I ever did to you?" Gino asked in fake innocence.

"If you mess with my friends you mess with me; now, let's pretend this never happened and leave. It is obvious Angelica doesn't have anything to do with you, so stay away from her." Arnold talked his usual diplomatic way, but his speech had a rarely used upset tone.

"I never thought you were the threatening type, Arnold." Gino arched an eyebrow at the blond boy.

"I don't threat; I warn." Arnold glared at the other boy. "I hate violence, and you know that, but if you touch a single hair of Angelica or any other friend of mine, I'm not afraid of using it; and you also know I don't lie either."

"If that's the way you want it. Guess what people say is right; only smart blonde is a Golden Retriever." Gino shrugged and addressed his goons. "Kick that football across the street."

One of the thugs stood on his place, alert, while the other charged at Arnold and Helga.

"Helga, move!" Arnold quickly pushed the girl away as the larger boy drew back his fist. Helga's eyes widened in fear at the sight and got ready to jump into action when noticing Arnold blocked the hit almost effortlessly.

The thug was pretty surprised, just like his companion and Gino; Angelica's surprise was short lived when remembering Arnold returned to his karate training, the girl getting a broad grin that rivaled the one Helga had at the moment but the Pataki girl also showed a quite obvious mix of awe and admiration. The goon recovered from the shock and attacked again, Arnold catching him by the wrist and using the momentum against his enemy, throwing him over his shoulder, the large boy falling on his back a second later.

"Go help him!" Gino snapped at his other bodyguard, who tried to attack Arnold when he was distracted, yet fell to the ground when tripping with something. Gino looked back at Angelica, who still had her foot extended.

"Oops; silly me," Angelica grinned mockingly at Gino while the fallen boy started standing up. Helga noticed it and warned Arnold, the blond boy connecting a good kick at the guy's chest before he could totally stand up, leaving him breathless.

The first thug, groaning in pain, rolled to stand up again, but this time it was Helga who attacked him, kicking his chin full force. The large boy rolled on the ground in pain, covering his mouth and chin with both hands and finally falling unconscious when Angelica joined the fight and repeated her 'Nutcracker' stunt, this time totally on purpose.

Gino was so shocked he didn't react until Arnold delivered a few karate chops at his other thug, knocking him out. The little gangster attempted to escape but found two glaring blond girls standing on his way.

"Look… about that 'Golden Retriever' comment…" Gino sweated bullets, smiling nervously at the girls before glancing at Arnold and talking in a barely audible tone. "Help, please."

"Are you kidding me? You know what happened the last time they turned aggressive and I got on their way; sorry, but you're alone in this." Arnold gave Gino a smug look while folding his arms, and then turned his back while addressing the girls. "I'm not looking, ladies; do whatever you want."

Gino, scared as he had never been in his life, and hoping that the moisture on his underwear was caused by the sweat, turned back at the smirking blondes.

"You want the face or the body?" Angelica said to Helga without them losing sight of Gino.

"We can share, if you agree."

"Be my guest; how do you want to start?"

"A 'Five Avengers' and 'Old Betsy' combination sounds cool." Helga cracked her knuckles; Angelica did the same and both girls drew back their fists while Gino screamed in fear.

"NOT THE FACE 'CAUSE I WANT TO BE AN ACTOR!"

**POW!**

**THUD!**

**WHACK!**

**FOUL!**

**ARGH!**

**WHAM!**

**ZOCK!**

**CRACK!**

**SMASH!**

**SLAP!**

**DOUBLE ****FOUL!**

**BAMF!**

**TRAZ!**

**PAZ!**

**CUAZ!**

**INSERT HITTING SOUND HERE!**

**OOF!**

Arnold, on any other situation, would do anything to avoid a living creature's suffering, even if not being a nice one, but he had to admit the little gangster deserved some sort of punishment from a long time now, so kept his sight on the fallen bodyguards during the whole beating, that ended after a couple of minutes; for his mental health's sake, Arnold didn't turn to see what was left of Gino, simply waiting until Helga and Angelica walked next to him, telling the boy it was over. The blonde trio headed to Rhonda's house, barely hearing Gino softly calling, in no particular order, for his mother, a medic, and a lawyer to dictate his last will and testament.

"That was great, Arnold!" Angelica complimented the boy before turning at Helga, who was walking by Arnold's other side. "You were… adequate, Pataki."

"I'm guessing that was 'thanks' in your language." Helga smirked at Angelica.

"Actually, Helga is the one who saw you in trouble from Rhonda's window." Arnold explained. "She told me everything, and we were about to tell the others but we weren't sure if you actually needed help, so left the party as discretely as possible to get a look."

"So, I owe you another one, Pataki?" Angelica gave Helga a surprised look. "Well… thanks."

"Don't say a thing," Helga shrugged and then pointed at Arnold. "After all, Karate Kid here did most of the job; isn't my boy great or what?"

Helga froze and covered her mouth when realizing what she said, Arnold turning at her, stunned as well, while Angelica gave them a smug look.

"Eh… that 'my boy' comment… is not that I own you or something…" Helga said as avoiding eye-contact with Arnold, who replied the same way.

"Yes… it was just an expression… nothing more…"

"Let me steal a line of yours, Pataki; CRIMINEY!" Angelica groaned at her companions. "If any of you two use the 'heat of the moment' excuse, I'm kicking someone here, and you guys know I always find the most sensitive spots."

Helga rubbed her arms, looking down, while Arnold, ignoring the fact Angelica seemed to know about the 'heat of the moment' thing, rubbed the back of his head, both of them with nervous faces. Angelica rolled her eyes and sighed, turning at Rhonda's house, the door now in front of them.

"I'm getting in before they run out of snacks. Oh, and Arnold, tell your grandma I'm accepting that offer, if it wasn't a limited-time one." Angelica smirked at the boy and nodded at Helga before walking to the door; it wasn't locked so entered without knocking.

Helga and Arnold stood on the street, finally looking at each other after a minute or so.

"You're not… cold with that costume?"

"Just, you know, a little bit."

"Here, let me help you." Arnold removed his soldier-like jacket and put it over Helga's shoulders and back, the girl feeling comfortably warm a moment later.

"Thanks; you realize we're getting back into the house and you'll put back the jacket to complete the disguise, right?" Helga smiled at Arnold.

"In that case... you can use the jacket on your way back home… if you don't mind me accompanying you." Arnold blushed and smiled back at her. Helga placed a hand on his shoulder and gave the boy a fond look.

"Then… this is no 'heat of the moment'?"

"No unless it's an incredibly long moment." Arnold's look had the same fondness but changed almost immediately to an ashamed one. "And… I want to apologize… since that… incident at the rooftop… I was a coward; I mean, after the whole thing ended, I should have tried to talk with you and discuss what happened instead of that silly speech I came with... I mean, it had been four years now and I hadn't done a thing about that."

"Arnold, it's okay; I was a coward too, and had been for a lot longer time than you." Helga sighed. "It's just that… you know how much I complain about my family…"

"Yes, and I understand it; I've noticed they ignore you must of the time." Arnold sighed as well. "And I hadn't been too much help in that aspect either; I like helping everyone whenever possible, and yet hadn't done anything to improve your home situation… I feel as if I'd neglected or failed you..."

"Arnold, you have done more than you can imagine!" Helga cut him, the boy getting a surprised look, "Except for Phoebe, you're the only person who is nice with me on a regular basis, despite how bad I can treat you most of the time… actually, you were the very first person who showed me real friendship and kindness." Helga smiled at the kindergarten memory before getting back to her regular expression. "But, as I was saying, and you already mentioned, my family usually neglects me a lot, so I have to take care of myself and not showing any weakness, and I am afraid that, if I allow myself showing any feeling except anger or toughness, I'll lose whatever respect I might have at school… and when nobody respects you at home…"

"You don't need to be afraid, Helga." Arnold said as taking her hands on his. "Look, I'll not lie to you… when you confessed that, it scared me… I was shocked, actually. But, I'd been thinking a lot about it these last years, and… it no longer scares me. I've always known you are a great person on the inside, and knowing that such a pretty, smart and wonderful girl has feelings for me… it makes me feel so… happy. If you still feel the same, and can forgive me for being so dumb, I would like to give ourselves a try."

"So… you're not scared anymore?" Helga smiled fondly at him, fighting back some happiness tears.

"No… and if you still are afraid… I'll help you face that fear."

"No need; I'm not afraid any longer." Helga replied, she and Arnold staring at each other, and, a moment later, for the first time ever, they finally kissed by mutual consent and for real. It was soft, caring, and, as Arnold already suspected from previous experiences, very long, as Helga didn't want to break contact and they were eager to continue as long as humanly possible without an oxygen tank.

From the house's door, Angelica, who had been spying on them, took a picture with her cell phone, grinning slyly when closing the door.

"_I wonder if Pataki will forget that favor I owe__ her if giving her this picture; on the other hand, any medical magazine would pay a lot for an image of this anesthesia-free tonsillectomy."_ Angelica chuckled softly before announcing her arrival. "Wait no more, lucky people, because the party's life and soul finally arrived!"

Angelica's self-introduction was quite short since stopping when noticing everyone was looking at the body-painted boy and several spider monkeys dancing around him, Rhonda giving the geek a murderous glare.

"Curly…"

"They followed me, really!"


	12. Getting Along

- **Getting Along.**

"I heard Gino is still recovering at home and probably will not return before next semester." Sid commented at Stinky and Harold, the trio standing next to the bulky boy's locker.

"And he still isn't saying what happened to him and his guys? It had been almost two weeks." Harold pointed while taking out a book.

"I heard he finally messed with a big time gangster and he sent a bunch of those gorilla-like bodyguards to beat him." Stinky commented.

"I heard that the water buffalos Curly released got him; the two of them at the same time." Harold added.

"I heard he and his thugs were ambushing treat-or-trick kids and accidentally found a real monster." Sid mentioned his theory.

"I heard it was a giant chicken!"

The trio turned at Curly, who was right behind them.

"What? It's a possibility." The crazy geek shrugged while the other three boys gave each other a fast glance before Harold waved bye and started leaving to his classroom.

"See you guys after school." Harold said to Sid and Stinky, and, when at a certain distance, thought out loud. "Thank God I no longer have classes with that wacko."

"A giant chicken… that's crazy, even for you, Curly." Sid shook his head, Curly folding his arms and frowning.

"I'm sticking to my theory; besides, crazier things had happened. Just look at them." Sid and Stinky turned at the couple Curly was pointing at; two blondes, boy and girl.

"He has a point there." Stinky said to Sid, the boys, as many others, still hardly believing who were the school's new hottest couple.

"Arnold, really, you don't need to carry my books; I can do that." Helga said to her boyfriend, both of them smiling at each other.

"Well, if that's what you want…" Arnold pretended giving her the books, Helga reacting by playfully poking his nose.

"Then again, who am I to mess with your fun and the usual duties of the boyfriend?" The girl's smile broadened as it always did when she said the 'B' word. Arnold chuckled and stood next to her when they arrived at Helga's locker.

"I'll go get my books; back in a moment." Arnold gave Helga a quick kiss on the cheek before giving her the books and moving to his own locker, the girl simply nodding at him. She placed the books inside her locker and turned just to get a soft collision with another female.

"Ouch! What's wrong, Pataki; love blinded you?" Angelica complained, Helga frowning at her before her expression softened and got her sly smirk.

"Nope; I need my eyes perfectly functional to see him everyday."

"No insult… wow, you are getting soft." Angelica chuckled slightly.

"I'm softening your skull if not shutting up." Helga growled softly, Angelica getting her usual grin immediately. "Just because I finally, after all these years, got what I wanted the most in all the universe and these last weeks had been more beautiful than anything my hyperactive imagination could ever come with, doesn't mean I'm becoming as sweet as Lila."

"Well, judging by that silly smile I just saw in Arnold's face and the fact he didn't notice me, guess he's fine with that; either you're kinder when he's around, or the boy is a masochist."

"If you don't cut that, you'll wish being a masochist. And remember, you now have no leverage on me because my secret love got finally revealed." Helga smirked at Angelica.

"Yes, but I can always tell people about the love shrine and all the stuff you have done because of your obsession. People end at mental institutions for less than that." The shorter blonde folded her arms, Helga sighing and nodding.

"You have a point there."

"Of course I have; think I would approach a pit bull without a full-body safety outfit?" Angelica chuckled. "Anyway… you have shown Arnold your poems and stuff?"

"Well, not the shrine, of course; I don't want to scare him again… but I've shown him a poem or two. He thinks I have talent and was very touched by the fact he's my personal muse." Helga blushed slightly.

"Either he's being honest, or simply afraid of the author's reactions." Angelica rolled her eyes.

"Keep rolling those eyes and I'll hot-wax them in your sleep; remember I know where you live." Helga growled yet got a friendlier tone immediately. "Oh, well, talking about boys… how was your weekend?"

"I'll tell you later," now Angelica was the one blushing for a moment, "You go have fun with your Football Head."

"Hey, I'm the only one who can call him like that; we're changing it from insult to pet name." Helga got an upset tone that Angelica knew was more joking than angry.

"Whatever; well, since I can't avoid it, see you in class." The shorter girl shrugged and started leaving, passing next to Arnold, who noticed her this time.

"Good morning, Angelica."

"Good morning, Rugby Head."

Arnold wide opened his eyes and stood on his place while Angelica smiled at him and walked away, Helga covering her mouth to hold laughter before joining him and walking to the classroom arms-linked.

Certainly, as Helga said, these last weeks had been the best of her life so far. The whole being kinder with Arnold and spending more time around him without being as aggressive as usual served well not just for the boy finally admitting his feelings and expressing them, but to soften the shock this new relationship caused the day after the party; since people had started getting used to Helga and Arnold being on lot better terms, a few classmates even suspected they would fall for each other, thinking their closeness was a result of their best friends slowly getting into a relationship and the blonde boy and girl were showing support by staying out of their way and found company on each other, which was actually half-way true.

The handful of people who knew the real story showed their support for the new couple so they were accepted more easily without revealing all their previous knowledge; Lila mentioned Arnold commented to her once that he considered Helga a much better person she showed in public, and also that she and Helga have had more or less friendly moments in the past; Phoebe mentioned funny or interesting memories of her and Helga so people could get to know her friend's qualities that made Arnold fall for her; Angelica, like Lila, mentioned her conversations with Arnold when he talked highly about Helga, and pointed that, as long as Helga was in a successful relationship with the boy, she would be less annoying and spend more time dating Arnold than bullying her classmates (this fact made most people to wish the best for the couple); and Patty, who already suspected about Helga having feelings for Arnold without being totally sure, simply said Arnold was a nice boy who could date anyone he wanted, and everyone arguing or mocking this would be at the receiving end of her fists.

All this made things easier for Helga and Arnold, especially through the first days, when many people couldn't believe it and thought it was either him dating Helga out of pity or a dare, or the girl forcing him through blackmail or a cruel prank; the boy's explanations and him standing in Helga's defense whenever someone badmouthed her, and Helga showing she still was as tough as usual yet no longer afraid of admitting her feelings proved this relationship was for real and they were still basically the same, only real difference being they were together now and enjoying every moment.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"MOVE THOSE LEGS, YOU, HERD OF HIPPOS." Angelica, in full coaching mode, yelled at the team. "I'VE SEEN MORE ACTION IN A CHESS TOURNAMENT!"

"I'm the only one here who really hates this girl?" Wolfgang, talking in a very soft voice to avoid the girl hearing him, commented to nobody in particular.

"Well, I don't know you, but I'm not messing with anyone who can stand a fight with my Patty. Now shut up and keep moving." Harold commented back as the players kept running laps. Wolfgang, in the past, would hit Harold for less than that, but, since being held back a year himself, and Harold now being almost his same size, he no longer had a superior position. However, he still was more than a little angry with Angelica yelling and insulting them… skip that; he didn't care about the others; Wolfgang didn't like anyone yelling and insulting him.

"YOU GUYS ARE PATHETIC! DO YOU THINK I'M DISTRACTING THE OTHER TEAM AGAIN? NOT EVEN YOU WOULD BE THAT STUPID!"

"That's it; I don't care if she can make us win the Super Bowl." Wolfgang stopped running and snapped at Angelica. "IF YOU THINK IT'S THAT EASY, THEN DO IT YOURSELF!"

All the players, and Jack, who had been checking the equipment and re-reading the plays he would teach the boys that day, looked at Wolfgang and Angelica, the girl now approaching him with a murderous glare that actually intimidated the large boy a little bit, evident by the fact his scowl wasn't as intense as just a moment before. The girl stood in front of him, and, surprising everyone, changed her angry face to a half-amused one.

"My, Wolfgang, if you wanted that, you only needed to say it." Angelica shrugged and positioned herself aside the team. "Okay, fools, guess you need someone showing you how it's done; come on, move those barrels you call legs!"

Angelica started jogging while getting back to her insulting and yelling mode, the players following her after recovering from the surprise; 'following' was the right word since Angelica was effortlessly keeping a steady and good speed pace in front of them.

"Hey, come on boys; don't tell me the girl is faster than you!" Jack, recovering from the surprise as well, got into coaching mode, while the players did their best to follow Angelica, some of them succeeding in jogging next to her after a few moments.

The rest of the warm-up was the same, with Angelica doing all the exercises along with the boys; truth, many of them were larger and stronger, but she still did it better than half of the team. Of course, when they finished these exercises, she was getting tired too, and was silently thankful when Jack said it was time to practice the plays, meaning she now could sit at the bleachers and rest while the coach and the team kept working.

"_At least Mrs. Mi-Wacky can't say I hadn't been working on my resistance."_ Angelica thought while drinking some water.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**- Flashback.**

"Hi-yah!"

"Hey, watch out, Pataki! That was my head!" Angelica, in full karate outfit (or karate gi, to be more technical), groaned at her sparring partner while blocking a left punch.

"Sorry; I'll be more cautious next time… so you don't see it coming." Helga, also in a karate gi, smirked at the shorter blonde. Angelica frowned and replied with a fast series of punches and kicks that kept Helga on a defensive stance.

"I don't know if having them sparring together is a good idea, Grandma." Arnold whispered at the old woman; they were also in karate outfits but, unlike the girls, they weren't using cushioned gloves, knee and elbow pads, or head gear, all cautions Angelica's parents insisted on when the girl asked them for permission to take these classes.

"Well, Grasshopper, that's why I'm the sensei here." Gertie replied in her calm martial arts teacher's mode. "By taking all the aggression out of their system in this controlled environment, in an atmosphere of mutual respect and sportiveness, it's less probable they'll have any wish to strangle each other at school and you getting in the middle."

Arnold shrugged yet said nothing, knowing that, despite her usual craziness, his grandmother was an expert in this area. The large, currently unoccupied room that served as an improvised dojo, had several mats on it and the gear the girls used minimized the risk of them getting hurt, and even if Angelica and Helga were always at each other's throat, they were (at least, by now) honest about not really wanting to kill the other no matter how many times they claimed the contrary. The Pickles even paid for Helga's stuff as well when Angelica proposed she and the other girl would buy it together; the adults saw it as a way of the girls to become closer, and for them to do something for an associate's daughter, while the girls agreed it was their way to get sure none would be more protected or better equipped than the other, especially Helga, who knew Bob wouldn't care if she used the cheapest gear or nothing at all.

Back to the action, Helga finally escaped the punching rain and replied with a low kick, targeting Angelica's right knee. The shorter blonde felt the impact but recovered almost immediately, replying with a kick of her own that caught Helga by surprise, the Pataki girl falling on her butt. Helga stood up in the blink of an eye and got back to attack, this time Angelica being the one forced to keep up her defense. The Pickles girl got stunned by a sharp hit to the side of her head and then fell on her knees due a strong 'Five Avengers' attack, Helga making the mistake of getting overconfident so didn't notice when Angelica made a sweeping move with her legs, hitting her opponent's ankles and making her to fall as well.

"Okay, Mantis and Wasp, I think that's enough for now." Gertie clapped her hands, stopping the fight. Helga and Angelica stood up and bowed respectfully at each other.

"I'm getting you next time, Pickles." Helga whispered at Angelica when their heads were close enough.

"Not if I break those noodles you call legs, Pataki." Angelica replied in a similar way before they stood normally and their sensei cleared her throat.

"You two are improving a lot, girls; I see you already have some fighting experience…" Gertie said in her expert-like tone.

"You can ask Gino about that; if he is finally talking again, of course." Helga whispered at Angelica, this time in a joking tone, both girls grinning slyly at the comment.

"Mantis, you have a good reach and speed, and those fists of you are deadly weapons," Gertie addressed Helga, "but you have to work on your guard and don't forget about your legs. And you, Wasp," Gertie was now looking at Angelica, "I'll give you a ten in persistence and resources, as you can improvise and change your fighting style very easily, but you have to work on your resistance. If the fight had continued and you weren't able to defeat your opponent fast enough, you would be totally wasted in a couple of minutes."

Helga and Angelica nodded and bowed respectfully at the old woman, who did the same before calling Arnold for his own training, the boy giving Angelica a fast thumbs up and Helga a little kiss at the cheek (once she got rid of the head gear) on his way to the mat, the girls sitting in lotus position to watch the spar a few moments later, that would start when Arnold and his grandma were done with the breathing exercises.

"The old lady isn't kidding; you almost broke my ankle with that last kick." Helga commented to Angelica in a low tone while checking her ankle and touching her kissed cheek.

"Yes; she lacks a few bulbs on her chandelier, and don't know if all martial arts' teachers have a thing for insects, but she knows her business." Angelica whispered back. "By the way, thanks for joining the classes. Your little Football Head and she are on a more advanced level and I wouldn't be able to spar with them; besides, Arnold only practices the defense moves with me because he wouldn't hit a girl."

"Well, I can't let you become way stronger than me in case we ever have another fight… not that the thing we just did was exchanging greeting cards, but you get the idea; besides, I don't mind Arnold and I sharing time and participating on the same activities." Helga smiled fondly at her boyfriend, who was now ready for the practice. "He's taking me to Dino Land tomorrow."

"Good thing it's not Disneyland; you wouldn't pass the giant rat at the entrance." Angelica half-joked, making Helga to groan yet said nothing as Gertie and Arnold started circling each other.

The boy knew his grandma rarely threw the first hit, so decided to start him self by sending a low kick to her legs, the woman jumping back and replying with a fast chop her grandson blocked. Arnold then threw a right punch and left chop combination against his grandma, who dodged the first and caught the second, sending a kick to Arnold's mid-section; the boy blocked that attack with his free hand and made a fast twist to escape Gertie's grip and send a round-house kick the woman dodged. The sensei threw then a fast series of kicks Arnold did his best to avoid but one got him square at the chest, sending him down for a split-second, the boy standing up almost immediately and throwing his own attack, a punches-kicks combination; Gertie received a few good hits but blocked most so could continue; despite her age, the woman conserved herself quite agile and strong, probably due her craziness that made her move like an hyperactive 10 years old at times.

"If this wasn't karate, I would start singing 'Kung Fu Fighting' right now." Angelica commented at Helga, the girls not losing sight of the fight.

"If you do it, I'll make you swallow your belt." Helga replied, not nearly close to her usual insulting tone since being almost mesmerized by her boyfriend's moves yet still being alert enough to reply next insult.

"Ignorant moron."

"Deaf-to-tones."

**End Flashback.**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Angelica smiled at the memory; it took some convincing but her parents agreed on her taking the classes when she promised not dropping them as easily as she did first time. She wouldn't admit it out loud, at least not frequently, but she thought it was kind of cool that Helga was taking lessons as well; erasing that smug look from the Pataki's face whenever getting the upper hand on a hitting exchange was a nice incentive, even if both girls were yet to defeat the other. They were simply too competitive and stubborn to let the other win, and that, at the end, make them work harder and better; in a week or two, both girls would probably be good enough to spar with either Arnold or his grandma on an even level.

The blonde checked her watch, noticing it was time to finish the training, but decided to let the boys sweat a few extra minutes. When both Wolfgang and Ed got tackled by Torvald (who was big and strong enough to take on several players at once), Angelica decided it was enough and told Jack to stop the training.

"Oh, yeah, it's getting late." Jack looked at his watch and told the boys to stop. "Okay, everybody to the showers; and I hope you do it better tomorrow. Pickles, I have to make a call; check the boys put all the equipment back on its place."

"Sure, Coach." Angelica said to the man, and, when he was gone, the girl turned at the players. "You heard the man! Hurry up, I have a life!"

"Your life is making ours difficult." Wolfgang, groaning while standing up, glared at the girl.

"Keep with that attitude, and I'll ask the coach to degrade you to water boy." Angelica glared back at the large boy.

"Wolfgang, you can get into trouble…"

"Shut up, Ed! This little queen's simulation had been yelling at me since day one, and I don't let anyone do that!" Wolfgang threw his helmet to the ground, enraged, while the other players moved next to him and Angelica.

"Hey, Wolfgang, that's no way to talk to a lady." Torvald folded his arms, standing between Angelica and his teammate.

"That's no girl… she's a… a… beast!" Wolfgang growled at Torvald, ignoring the size difference, before glaring at the girl. Angelica stood next to the larger boy and smirked at Wolfgang.

"How did you call me?"

"Beast! A loud, annoying beast!"

"That's the best you have? Oh, boy; you had been playing without the helmet?" Angelica shook her head, her sly grin at its best. "Come on, Wolfgang, you must have better insults; something like, 'You're so venomous that mosquitoes vomit after biting you'."

Wolfgang stood there, dumbfounded, while the players started chuckling and Angelica paced back and forth in front of him, taping her chin while talking.

"Or you can say 'You're so loud that, when yelling, seismographers register it'; or how about 'Your face is so ugly it makes onions cry'; oh, and this one is good too… 'You're so disgusting that, when entering a room, the roaches run out'. Or use dog-related insults; we girls hate them, like 'Shut up, Fido, or you'll return to the pound'. To insult my intelligence, try something like 'When you swallow a fly, you have more brains in your belly than in your head'. You can even use some humor, like 'Your attitude stinks worse than Pepe Le Pew', or show your education with one like 'Next to you, Attila is Mother Teresa'; there are so many good insults out there waiting to be used! But guess you need creativity for that, and a newborn Chihuahua has more than you."

Wolfgang, half-stunned, half-angry, stood on his place, every other boy laughing loudly at the scene while Angelica stopped pacing and stood in front of him, her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry I have to say this, Wolfgang, but better stick to playing football because your insults are lame, to put it kindly; I have been in insults' exchanges with professionals, and you aren't even a rookie. So, do something good for a change, and start picking up the equipment because you'll use it tomorrow instead of wasting your breath; I'm always ready for a verbal battle but in your case it would be like using a machine gun to kill a moth."

The large boy clenched his fists, furious; even with the whole team watching, he was ready to pulverize this girl.

"You think I wouldn't hit you, Pickles? I've beaten girls before and wouldn't mind doing it again!"

"So, you take advantage on people smaller and weaker than you; I used to do it but stopped when I was four and realized only real cowards do something that low."

"You called me coward…" Wolfgang was now ready to jump over the girl but it was hard with both Torvald and Harold standing on his way and the rest of the team ready to do the same. Angelica smirked; she wasn't really worried about fighting Wolfgang due her training and knowing the other boys would defend her, but one of the first lessons Gertie gave to both her and Helga was to avoid physical confrontations whenever possible, only fighting if there was no other way out… and Angelica knew several ways.

"Relax guys; I'm no damsel in distress." Angelica said to the other players before addressing Wolfgang again. "Tell you what, Dog-Fang; let's make a deal. If you can tackle me on a single try, in a frontal collision, I'll stop giving you extra laps no matter how much you complain or insult me; but, if you can't do it, you'll put the equipment back on his place after each practice, and I mean all the equipment, with nobody helping you, for the rest of the school year."

"Tackling… and nobody will assist you?" Wolfgang arched an eyebrow at the girl, the other players getting shocked expressions.

"Nope; just you, me, and something to protect ourselves, of course; now, if you're scared about directly charging against a shorter girl…" Angelica gave him a mocking smile that made the trick.

"Is your funeral, Pickles; we have a deal!" The boy growled at her.

"Good; now, just let me get my protection while you get yours." Angelica started walking away, presumably to grab a helmet. Wolfgang grinned evilly and turned at Ed.

"Ed, give me my helmet! I'm giving that idiot a lesson!" The boy grabbed the helmet Ed passed him, and put it on. Some of the other players were about to argue when everyone heard Angelica's voice.

"I'm ready!"

"And I'm… what?" Wolfgang got a puzzled look, noticing Angelica was now standing behind the goal post. "Hey, what are you doing? Where's your helmet?"

"Who said a thing about helmets? I said we would use protection; you, obviously, chose the helmet, and I'm protecting myself with the post."

"But… but…" Wolfgang, paling, tried getting his voice back while all the other boys, Ed included, laughed at him.

"_I wonder if he's that dumb."_ Angelica thought. "Well, guess I'm right and you're a huge, gigantic, never-before-seen big chicken."

"ARGH!" Wolfgang roared and charged against Angelica, ignoring everyone and everything else, even if the girl was still behind the post.

**CRASH!**

Wolfgang, almost unconscious, fell to the ground, while Angelica sighed and left her safe place, the rest of the team surrounding the fallen boy a few seconds later.

"I stand corrected; he's no coward… just an imbecile." Angelica shrugged before addressing the self-beaten boy. "Thanks for showing me my mistake, Ox-Moron; okay guys, throw a bucket of water over the fool. He has a lot of work to do."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"He did that?" Helga chuckled. "Criminey! I knew the guy was dumb, but never to this level."

"I know I should feel bad for taking advantage on a retard, but hey, when he told me he had beaten girls, I knew the idiot deserved it." Angelica laughed, both girls heading to Arnold's place for the day's lesson. Normally, the boy or Phoebe would be walking with them, but Arnold had to get home early to collect rent (Oskar was late, as usual) before the training, and apparently Gerald got inspired by Arnold and Helga confessing to each other because he was spending more time with Phoebe these days, and it was just a matter of time before they became official.

"Tell me about it; he got me twice." Helga rolled her eyes.

"Wait… he hit you?" Angelica got a surprised expression; she thought only Patty had ever done that.

"Yes, when I was a fourth grader and he was a fifth one; back then, there was another guy called Ludwig who attended another school and befriended him; they attacked me at the same time and left both my eyes black, and later that week they punched and gave wedgies to the whole group. Luckily Ludwig is at the correctional now, and since Wolfgang and his dork pal Ed's grades made them get held back a year, they lost a lot of the intimidation factor." Helga explained, Angelica getting her sly smirk.

"So, technically, I already paid my debt." Angelica said to Helga, "You and Arnold saved my butt with Gino, and I got revenge on an old tormentor of yours."

"Criminey!" Helga snapped her fingers. "I wanted to make you either invite both me and Arnold dinner or force you go to school wearing a clown disguise."

"Ah, don't worry; at the rate both of us keep helping each other, I will owe you again sooner or later… or you'll owe me." Angelica grinned slyly.

"Probably; so… you said you were telling me about your weekend."

"Well, guess it beats our usual name-calling walk," Angelica chuckled, "Okay, the thing was like this…"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Flashback.**

Angelica walked down the plane, holding a backpack and a gym bag, and started looking around, smiling when finding a bald old man with an earphone and a nice looking old lady.

"Hey, Grandpa! Grandma Lulu!"

"Angelica!" The old man, Lou, smiled widely, getting the girl in a tight embrace. "Just look at you; I stop watching you for a few months and you're almost a full-grown lady."

"I hadn't changed that much, Grandpa," Angelica chuckled while breaking that hug and getting another from Lulu.

"We're being honest, Angie. So, how are your parents?" Lulu smiled at the girl.

"Working a lot, like usual; that building thing is taking more than expected, so we may need to stay longer than we thought," Angelica sighed, "We may not be able to come here for Thanksgiving."

"But you're coming for Christmas, right?" Lou asked her, slightly worried; he had always tried being with his sons during Holidays and missing any wasn't exactly likable; Angelica and her parents had already done it before spending Christmas at Aspen, but even then they returned for New Years Eve.

"Of course we'll do it! I missed you wearing that old Santa hat last year." Angelica smiled at her grandfather; Lou and Lulu smiled back at her and then headed to the car.

"So, how are Steely Phil and his family these days?" Lou, already knowing Angelica had met his old friend, asked her while walking.

"Oh, they're fine; he is in pretty good shape for a man his age; I saw him doing push-ups the other day; his wife is teaching me karate, and their grandson is a very good friend of mine." Angelica started telling everything; of course, she had already talked either by phone or e-mail with her grandparents and practically everyone at home, but most of the time she communicated mainly with her cousins and friends so it had been a while since having a good talk with the old couple; funny enough, in the past she usually tried avoiding these talks but now she had moved really missed them.

At the car, the girl kept talking with her grandparents the whole way while looking through the windows, visibly excited about being back at her old territory. Her eagerness grew when they parked just a few feet away from the Java Lave, the cyber café property of the Finster family. Angelica left her luggage at the car except for a large brown bag she took out of the backpack.

The girl and her grandparents approached the café, and got a look through the place's crystal door, everyone inside enjoying a party. The place was nicely decorated, and Angelica's old gang was there ready for the traditional blowing off the cake's candles; her cousins Tommy and Dil were at the birthday boy's right while Kimi was at his left, along with the DeVille twins, Phil and Lil; her friend Susie was behind him along with Harold, her old sidekick, all of them giving enough space for the adults to take pictures and for the other guests, most of them classmates, to see everything; the birthday boy got a good breath and blew off the thirteen candles, everyone clapping at him, the blonde taking this as her cue.

"Guess who is back!" Angelica entered the place, in her best 'pay-me-attention' mode, everyone turning at her. A few seconds later, the blonde was caught in a collective hug; the adults kept their distance, they obviously knowing about this visit and keeping it secret to the youngsters. The other guests kept their distance as well, simply enjoying the scene.

"Hey, I know you guys missed me, but let me breath!" Angelica groaned yet obviously wasn't in a hurry to break the embrace.

"Sorry, cousin, but this was a major surprise!" Tommy smiled at her when finally breaking the hug.

"Yes; never thought I would say this, but we all missed you." Phil shrugged.

"And I missed all of you… not your smell, DeVille, but hey, nothing is perfect." Angelica smirked playfully at Phil, the boy feeling a strange yet welcomed satisfaction at hearing her insulting him again.

"How much time are you staying?" Harold asked, the boy grinning widely at his boss' return.

"Just the weekend; I wasn't missing this day." Angelica shrugged and looked at the widely smiling birthday boy, the only one who hadn't embraced her yet. "So, you finally moved from 'tween' to 'teen', uh?"

"I had to do it someday." Chuckie shrugged, keeping his smile. Angelica opened the bag and took out a little gift box.

"Happy Birthday, Finster." The blonde handled him the box, Chuckie accepting it and immediately getting her in a tight hug.

"This is the only thing I really wanted for my birthday." The boy whispered at her, the girl blushing a little bit and hugging him back.

"Then I guess this other gift is an extra." Angelica gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, Chuckie blushing deeply as the girl finally broke the embrace yet kept a hand on his left shoulder. "Come on, I had nothing but plane food on my way here, and that cake looks good."

The adults and youngsters chuckled at the comment and everyone got a seat to enjoy the cake, Angelica sitting next to Chuckie and not separating more than ten feet away from him for the rest of the night.

**End Flashback.**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"We danced and played a few party games, chatted a lot… you can imagine the rest." Angelica finished the narration. "I spent the night at Susie's place, and we all hung around together the next day; we went to the mall, the arcade, the movies, the park…"

"And, besides that mini-kiss, you gave him more hints?" Helga asked.

"Well, of course I spent time with the other girls and with my cousins… and Harold invited me to the mall's ice skating rink and for once I didn't deny; but yes, I spent a lot of time with Finster, and dropped a few hints here and there. We sat together at the movies and held hands; shared a sundae; gave him a few 'innocent' flirting comments and he replied the same way…" Angelica blushed at the last part.

"How 'innocent' were those comments?" Helga smirked at her companion.

"Well, he got his braces removed a week before his birthday, and I told him he had a nice smile; he thanked me and later complimented my hair and my clothing; we played a game at the arcade and complimented each other even if we are both terrible players; I told him he was slowly moving from 'cute' to 'good looking' and he said it shouldn't surprise me because I did the same a couple years ago…"

"No wonder the guy needs glasses." Helga rolled her eyes, getting a good natured punch at her right arm due the comment.

"You don't need to give me an incentive to hit you at the practice, Pataki; your face offending everything pure and holy is good enough." Angelica smirked at her, "Anyway, when I got the plane back here, he, as well as everyone else, went to the airport, and, after the others said good-bye, Finster gave me a hug and a kiss at both my cheeks, and, before that, he insisted on carrying my stuff. I think he really likes me back."

"By the way you describe that visit, it's almost a miracle he didn't carry you all the way back here." Helga chuckled, Arnold's house now just a few feet ahead.

"More like, it's almost a miracle I didn't bring him with me, but security at airports had improved a lot."

"Not that much if they still allow you traveling with human beings."

"My, you did it."

"What I did?"

"Put me on the right mood to mop the floor with your poor humanity; and I'm saying 'humanity' as a way of speech."

"In your dreams, Pickles," Helga smirked at Angelica, who replied the same way before ringing the doorbell.

"Funny you mentioned dreams; hope you have nice ones when I knock you out."

Helga was about to reply when Arnold opened the door, the boy already in his karate gi; the Pataki girl gave him a fond look, forgetting about Angelica for the time being.

"Hi, girls; you are early." Arnold gave Angelica a friendly smile and then a fond one to Helga.

"Well, I need to give this girl a lesson and your house has a room for that," Helga pointed at Angelica before playfully poking Arnold's chest. "And I couldn't wait to see you in this outfit."

Arnold blushed deeply while Angelica rolled her eyes; a moment later, Helga gave the boy one of her semi-patented oxygen-sucking kisses, Arnold not complaining, of course.

"Hey, guys, I'm right here!" Angelica tried to get their attention but then her expression brightened as walking next to them on her way upstairs. "On a second thought, keep doing that. Leave her breathless, Arnold; she'll fall more easily then!"


	13. Extreme Make Over

**- Extreme Make-Over.**

"I must admit that, despite my dislike for any form of violence, you both displayed an impressive physical skill." Phoebe said to both Angelica and Helga, the trio walking down the street after the blondes' karate lesson, both of them carrying their gym bags.

"That came from the girl whose dad teaches her how to use a sword." Angelica chuckled a little bit as remembering the little exhibit Phoebe gave to them before the class by using a broom stick, the girl originally being there just to accompany her friend and watch her and Angelica's progress.

"I hate to say it, but Pickles is right; you're like, The Japanese Zorro, Phoebe." Helga pointed at her friend, the petite girl blushing as usually when getting complimented.

"_Arigato_, girls," Phoebe replied as they finally arrived at Helga's place.

"Guess that makes me the Crouching Tigress and Pataki the Should-Remain-Hidden Dragon." Angelica joked.

"Crouching Tigress… more like The Stray Flea Bag. Well, I'm sorry for leaving you with the present company, Phoebe," Helga gave Angelica a fast smirk, the other blonde groaning at the comment, before looking back at the Asian, "but I have to get ready for the date."

"Yes, only three hours left and someone like you would need at least two weeks to be close to presentable." Angelica smirked back at Helga, the taller blonde shaking her head while Phoebe simply rolled her eyes, already used to these exchanges.

The girls were referring to a double date Helga and Phoebe would have with Arnold and Gerald a little later, the jock finally finding the courage to invite the little genius out yet still needing Arnold there as a back-up. Despite Helga's usual moody self, it was obvious she really was as happy as Phoebe; sadly, this joy died the moment Helga opened the door and a certain young woman received her.

"Baby sister!"

"OLGA?!" Helga gasped, both in shock and due the tight hug her big sister gave her, Angelica arching an eyebrow while Phoebe got an 'uh-oh' face.

"What are you doing here, Olga? You usually return the day before Thanksgiving, and that's still four days away!" Helga finally got back her breath and broke the hug, doing her best to not snapping at her sibling.

"Oh, Helga, you surely forgot it; I called Mommy and Daddy two days ago and told them I got a substitute so would arrive early this year." Olga replied in her sickening sweet tone, ignoring Helga's low growl when finding out their parents had ignored her for the millionth time and didn't tell her about Olga's arrival; a moment later, Olga finally noticed Phoebe and Angelica.

"Hello, Phoebe; nice to see you again; who is your friend?" Olga moved aside Helga to talk to the other girls.

"_Konichiwa, _Olga; I'm pleased as well for your arrival. She is Angelica, one of our classmates."

"Hi." Angelica simply waved at Olga, not exactly eager to chat with Helga's sister; if Helga herself couldn't stand her, the Pickles girl thought she wouldn't feel that different.

"Baby sister, you finally are expanding your social circle!" Olga turned back at Helga, Angelica noticing her rival/classmate/partner was showing a face very close to her best murderous glare, and feeling somehow freaked at the fact Olga apparently didn't notice it because invited them in immediately; the Pickles girl wanted to refuse as gently as possible but Phoebe gave her a fast glance and a look that convinced her to accept the invitation. The petite genius knew the effect Olga had in Helga, and it wouldn't hurt being around in case the younger Pataki was about to lose her nerves.

"I finished with the kitchen, Olga; we can start cooking dinner whenever you want." Miriam approached her oldest daughter, showing a large smile and an active disposition that was as rare in her as a polar bear at the Sahara.

"Someone finally charged her battery or what?" Angelica whispered at Phoebe, this being the first time the newcomer had seen Miriam awake. Bob emerged from the den at that moment, frowning slightly at Helga.

"Where had you been, missy? You know the whole family has to be here whenever Olga comes to visit us."

"I could be here, Bob, if you had actually told me," Helga groaned at her father.

"Ah, it probably slipped your mind," Bob replied, "Anyway, change those clothes and help your sister with dinner; it will be a good rehearsal for Thanksgiving."

Helga paled, knowing this would ruin her date; Phoebe and Angelica gave each other a fast glance and the Pickles girl cleared her throat to get the man's attention.

"Good afternoon, Mister Pataki."

"Yeah, what… oh, Angelica!" Bob gulped and looked at both Angelica and Phoebe. "Sorry, I didn't notice you and the other girl; is she new around here?"

"Oh, Daddy, you're so funny." Olga giggled, "Pretending not knowing Phoebe after all these years of her being Helga's best friend!"

Bob gave Olga a nervous smile, while Helga got a little grin; as annoying Olga could be, seeing Bob trying to keep his good parent image whenever screwing something in front of his older daughter was always funny.

"_And here I thought Pataki exaggerated when saying her parents neglected her!"_ Angelica got a little frown; nobody, including pets and Helga, deserved that lack of attention.

"No problem, Mister Pataki, but, and I hope you don't mind, Helga and Phoebe already have plans for today, and sadly they can't cancel now." Angelica said to the man, Phoebe talking next.

"In deed, due that unfortunate break in your interpersonal communication, she is now in the uncomfortable position of not spending time with her family at the current moment."

"Uh, well… she should have asked for my permission!" Bob, not getting half of Phoebe's speech, tried defending his posture.

"I did, Bob; I even have it on tape in case you forgot." Helga smirked at her dad, giving Angelica and Phoebe a sly grin while slowly going upstairs, carrying her gym bag. "Just wait a minute; I'm bringing my tape recorder."

Bob was about to say something but was too busy trying to remember when he gave that permission; Miriam smiled at the other girls and excused herself to start preparing dinner while Olga turned at Phoebe and Angelica.

"So, girls, sorry for meddling, but what were you and my baby sister doing? I smell you're slightly sweaty."

"Helga and I are taking karate lessons." Angelica informed her, Olga getting a shocked face immediately and turning at her father a moment later.

"Daddy, how can you allow my baby sister learn that? She can get hurt!"

"I never gave her permission for that; I mean… karate isn't proper for a lady!" Bob tried his best parental tone.

"So, you're saying I'm no lady?" Angelica pointed at herself, faking a stunned face; Bob gasped when realizing he was probably offending an associate's child; worst of all, he now half-remembered Charlotte and Drew commenting about those classes their daughters were having together, so couldn't use the 'not giving permission' excuse without looking like a terrible parent.

"Eh, well… I had never disapproved sports…"

"Daddy!" Olga exclaimed, Bob feeling himself trapped between a rock and a hard place, namely his dear first born daughter and his business man's obligations. Despite Angelica enjoying the scene, Phoebe thought damaging the man's image in front of Olga wasn't exactly proper.

"Olga, I understand your concern for Helga, but karate is more than a way to produce pain on our fellow men; like Kendo and martial arts in general, it's a millenary tradition that teaches discipline and self-control while providing a healthy physical activity and teaching self-defense."

"Well… I don't want to be disrespectful with your heritage, Phoebe, but I think tennis, ballet or ballroom dancing would be more adequate for my baby sister. It's already bad enough we allow her having that lizard as a pet; what's wrong with a cute little hamster or a melodious canary?" Olga replied, Phoebe doing her best to not sighing while Angelica got a half-puzzled face.

"_This lady doesn't know her own sister or what?"_ Angelica rolled her eyes and moved next to Phoebe.

"Look, Olga… I can use first names, right?" Angelica waited for Olga to nod before continuing, "Obviously you care about your sister's safety, or, at least, pretend to care…"

"Of course I care!" Olga gasped.

"Then, why you want to deny your sister a chance to defend herself in case anyone offends her body or dignity, or tries hurting her? Sorry to break you these shocking news, but your family lives in an urban area, and even the safest cities have gangs, thieves and street mimes; of course your sister knows how to handle problems, but you wouldn't feel safer knowing she can fight back if not having another way out of a dangerous situation?"

"Oh, my… you're right! It would be like forbidding an Inuit kid learning ice fishing!" Olga wide-opened her eyes in realization while Bob saw his chance and smiled broadly at his daughter.

"Yes, that's why I approved those classes! I care about your sister's safety; I pretended not knowing because thought you wouldn't like the idea."

"Daddy, you're so kind!" Olga smiled back at Bob and gave him a little hug while Angelica and Phoebe gave each other a knowing look.

"I know about liars, and this guy is the worst I've ever seen." The blonde whispered at Phoebe, the little genius sighing and nodding, both girls wondering if Olga really believed her old man or was just being extra kind. Helga walked downstairs at that moment, holding a tape recorder and carrying both her gym bag and backpack.

"I found it; okay, listen to this." Helga said as pushing the 'Play' button, everyone hearing her voice.

"Dad, I'm going out with Phoebe and some friends from school tomorrow after my karate class, and later I'm staying with her for the night. It's fine with you?"

"Oh, yeah, no problem, Olga."

"I'm Helga, Bob."

"That's what I said; you can go with your friends."

The large man got a shocked expression when hearing his own voice; he really gave that permission and couldn't remember it! Worst of all, apparently his younger daughter asked for that just the previous day, when he and Miriam already knew about Olga coming home early this year.

"Daddy, you really forgot telling her." Olga giggled. "Guess you and Mommy had been quite busy these days."

"_She had been busy collecting dust and producing drool."_ Helga thought as approaching the door.

"We're leaving, Bob; see you, Olga, and don't worry, I'm helping you and Mom cooking dinner tomorrow. Oh, and don't feed Zilla; he had a good breakfast and, judging by the feathers I saw in his muzzle, he already had a pigeon for dinner." Helga said to her family before motioning Angelica and Phoebe to leave; the nerdy girl and the other blonde said bye and followed Helga out, missing the half-nauseated face Olga got at the mention of the lizard's snack.

"Are you sure that Olga isn't adopted, Pataki?" Angelica asked Helga once they were a little far from the house. "I've heard about siblings that are totally different but you two… it's like if you got all the bitterness and she got enough sweetness to make Winnie The Pooh diabetic!"

"Tell me about it!" Helga groaned as pointing at her clothes, her usual street ones. "Worst of all, now I'll have to go to the date with these after bathing at Pheebs' place."

"You didn't get an outfit change, Helga?" Phoebe asked her friend.

"No; I barely had time to check on Zilla, get my school stuff, and then grab my pajamas to sleep at your house and prepare myself mentally for having Olga at home a whole week."

"Oh, come on, Pataki, you had enough time to choose moderately decent clothing when you went to your room." Angelica groaned at Helga.

"Hey, I had to find my tape recorder and do that fake message!"

Both Angelica and Phoebe froze on their place, and gave Helga a shocked look.

"What? You don't really think I tape my conversations with my father, right?" Helga sly grinned before clearing her throat and mimicking Bob's voice. "Hey, Miriam, I want my dinner; oh, and tell the girl to go buy me more nachos; 'Wheel of Fortune' is about to start and I want to see my new commercial."

"Pataki, that was… okay, hate to admit it, but that was pure genius!" Angelica laughed loudly while Phoebe chuckled, covering her mouth to hold the massive laughter she felt coming.

"Helga, your ability is more than remarkable."

"Thank you, my dear audience… and Pickles." Helga bowed at them.

"One question; why you said you were just going out with some friends instead of going in a date with your 'beloved Football Head'?" Angelica made a more or less decent impression of Helga's voice at the last part.

"Because, Ignorelica, in case you hadn't noticed, my parents don't care if I have a boyfriend or not, and Olga would make a major scandal out of it; before I would even register it, she would drag me to all kind of shops to buy me 'proper' clothing, a ton of make-up, and insist on having heart-to-heart chats; not this girl, thank you. I'll rather talk about that with a friend like Phoebe, a pet like Zilla or an unidentified species like you." Helga replied, shaking her head. "Well, guess we must go now, Phoebe; see you later, Pickles, and if you want to do me a favor and jump in front of a bus, be my guest."

"Actually, Pink Parrot, I'm thinking about another favor." Angelica's words made both Helga and Phoebe to stop. "Personally, I wouldn't care if you dress with a potatoes sack for your date, Pataki, but even if Arnold has a thing for ugly girls, the boy deserves his date dressing as a human being."

"What do you have in that fox burrow you call a mind?" Helga arched her eyebrow at the other blonde as she took out her cell phone and dialed someone.

"Hello, Rhonda; can you come to my place? We are doing a charity work." Angelica gave Helga a mocking grin. "Actually, it's more like a miracle on the works."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Can anyone tell me why I agreed on this?"

"Because you don't want your boyfriend dating someone looking like a scarecrow, even if you make that kind of hard," Angelica replied as giving Helga a good look. "Nice choice of clothing, Rhonda."

"What can I say? My wardrobe is so good it can make even Helga look great." The brunette replied in her usual snobbish tone.

"I think 'great' is an exaggeration; let's say she looks half-way appropriate, and that's a lot." Angelica and Rhonda chuckled while Helga glared at them.

"Okay, Barbies, you had your fun; now, let me see how much you two disgraced my person." Helga shoved them aside to look at herself on Angelica's mirror.

"Nobody can disgrace you more than Mother Nature already did it." Angelica rolled her eyes, Helga not replying this time due the impression.

Angelica and Rhonda, knowing that Helga wasn't fond on make-up or many accessories, and that Arnold liked her natural self, focused on the wardrobe and hairdo; once Angelica told Rhonda who needed the image change, the brunette had little problem to choose the clothing, knowing she and Helga were more or less the same size, so could bring everything to Angelica's place in one trip. Helga's hair was now falling freely, covering her shoulders, with a little hairclip shaped as a pink bow holding her frontal hair; her dress was one Rhonda was considering dumping due being old-fashioned (an exaggeration, since she just bought it two months ago) and fitted her quite well, being a strapless red one with some silver lining at the sides; Angelica asked her mother for a pair of black shoes, since Helga's feet were bigger than her or Rhonda's and therefore couldn't give her a pair of their own, fitting her more or less comfortably; finally, Angelica finished the extreme make over with a black lace collar with a fake pearl at the front.

"Hey, not bad… not that girlish and not informal either; I like it," Helga conceded.

"It is official, Rhonda; we can start our own business as canine stylists," Angelica half-joked. Phoebe entered the room at that moment wearing a blue sleeveless dress, elbow-length gloves, and her hair in a traditional Japanese bun; the girls had picked up the clothing at Phoebe's place on their way to Angelica's, and helped the nerdy girl with her hairdo before working on Helga's.

"Helga, you look fabulous; Arnold will be speechless."

"What can I say? I finally found a use for these Dummies." Helga pointed at Rhonda and Angelica yet gave them a little smile. "But now, seriously, thanks for the assistance, you two, and for the dress, Rhondaloid; fits me like a glove."

"Too bad doesn't fit you like a dress." Angelica joked, everyone deciding to ignore that comment for now.

"I wasn't using it again anyway, so why not giving it to someone less fortunate than me?" Rhonda replied smugly before getting a more casual and friendly tone. "And you're right about the dress; fits you quite well."

"Besides, even if I want to help Arnold, there's no way I'm giving you a cloth of mine." Angelica folded her arms. "I would need to incinerate it later, and, on first place, you're taller than me and most of my stuff wouldn't fit."

"Who wants wearing any clothes you had touched anyway?" Helga frowned at the other blonde.

"Well, for starters, my stuff doesn't give people rash unless someone sprays it before." Angelica frowned back, Phoebe getting a nervous face.

"Uh… Angelica, I think we already agreed on not mentioning those juvenile and immature, yet admittedly funny from Helga and my point of view, stunts we performed on you."

"No; we agreed on forgiving, but I'm not forgetting." Angelica tapped her forehead. "I have elephant memory."

"And the scent of a pig, tongue of a viper, temper of a mad bull, brain of a flea…" Helga rolled her eyes, Rhonda and Phoebe chuckling yet getting alert in case Angelica lost her nerves.

"Are you telling us what you want for Christmas, Pataki? Because you already have all those things," Angelica groaned at Helga, the coming argument being cut by Charlotte knocking the door.

"Angelica, your friends' dates are here."

Helga and Phoebe gave themselves a fast last check; the Asian had called Gerald and Arnold to tell the boys about Angelica and Rhonda helping with the pre-date make over, and that they would be at the Pickles girl's place. Of course Gerald was a little surprised at this due Helga, even if she was in better terms with Angelica these days, still disliking the other blonde and Rhonda never being close to her, but when Phoebe explained Helga's house was a little crowded at the moment and Angelica lived closer to 'Chez Paris', the fancy restaurant they would go to, the boys saw no problem.

Arnold, in his best black suit, and Gerald, in a blue one, were currently chatting with Angelica's father, stopping when Helga and Phoebe walked downstairs; the boys' jaws fell and, if they had been Tex Avery's creations, their eyes would be the size of bowling balls.

"Helga, you look… oh, my… not that you don't always look great, but…" Arnold did his best to get his voice back, finally reacting when Helga got a familiar smirk.

"Don't drool that much, Football Head; you don't want to start the flood before building the ark, right?" Helga's regular teasing tone made Arnold relax considerably and smile widely at her, the girl doing her best to not drooling as well. Even if she was a lot sweeter when Arnold was around, the girl was still her old sarcastic, mocking self; the boy was fine with that, loving Helga's both sides, the romantic and smooching one that made Arnold feel on heaven whenever kissing her, and the tough, witty one that made her so interesting and exciting on first place.

"Judging by your reaction, I'll take you find this appearance… appealing." Phoebe talked shyly to Gerald, the boy gulping and eventually replying in a tone that was half-charming, half-stunned.

"Not just 'appealing', Phoebe; and here I thought it was impossible to make you more beautiful." The boy's comment made Phoebe get her broadest smile ever, Gerald smiling back immediately.

"Okay, this is nice and all but my living room is no soap opera's set." Angelica's voice made the couples to react at her presence, Rhonda and the older Pickles chuckling and smiling at the scene.

"Leave it to you to ruin the moment." Helga frowned slightly at Angelica before turning at the adults. "Thanks for your attentions; we're leaving now."

Arnold and the other couple thanked and said bye as well, leaving a moment later, Angelica noticing Helga was giving her a little thankful smile.

"That brings back memories, don't you think?" Drew smiled fondly at Charlotte, Rhonda and Angelica cringing at the sight.

"Want to go to my room and criticize the last models?" Angelica whispered at the brunette.

"Of course; we deserve a break after doing such tiring charity work." Rhonda whispered back. The girls excused themselves and went upstairs; after a few minutes of typical popular girls' chat, they heard the phone ringing but, since Angelica's parents answered and didn't call her, they went back to talking until Drew knocked the door.

"Come in." Angelica turned at the door, her father smiling widely when entering. "What's up, Dad?"

"Your mother and I just finished some arrangements via phone; long story short, we're almost done with our businesses here."

Angelica and Rhonda wide opened their eyes, knowing what it meant.

"So, you're telling me…"

"Yes, Angie," Drew nodded at her, "we're soon returning home."


	14. My Best Enemy

**- My Best Enemy.**

Angelica looked through her window, yawning yet fully waking up when looking at the snow that had fallen during the night. Back at home, she usually couldn't see natural snow except during very occasional blizzards; she was glad her winter clothing wasn't packed yet like most of her stuff by now.

Some weeks had passed since her father gave her the news. The offices were almost finished, and Big Bob had everything under control, so he and Mister Lloyd could handle Hillwood's branch of Pickles Industries with ease while Angelica's parents could coordinate everything from the home office at California. The winter/Christmas vacation started the previous day and the Pickles would be leaving before next weekend.

Angelica sighed and got a little smile; she was eager to go back home and be with her cousins and the old friends that were practically an extended family to the girl, even if she rarely said it, and, more important, be with Chuckie again, her feelings for the geek now being stronger than ever. Her family spent Thanksgiving with the Lloyds, who had a huge dinner for several business partners and high-class acquaintances (Helga's family wasn't present due they preferring having a 'just family' dinner) and it wasn't bad; the food was fine and Angelica chatted with Rhonda most of the time, but she would have preferred having just cold cereal, as it happened when she was three and the Thanksgiving food got ruined, if that meant being with Chuckie.

However, Angelica couldn't help but feeling a little sad as well for leaving her new friends; Rhonda was one of the coolest girls she had ever met, Lila was too sweet for her taste but a nice person no less, Arnold and his weird family made her feel at home, Phoebe was as kind as she was smart and not bad at all despite her friendship with Pataki…

The blonde shook her head at the thought of Helga Pataki. She had no idea about how to call her. They had started as rivals and enemies but doubted those terms applied any longer; they still insulted and drove each other crazy so Angelica wouldn't call her a friend either; they had become a lot closer through these months, so couldn't call her a mere acquaintance.

"_Maybe our relationship is a whole different level; wouldn't surprise me since she is almost a whole different species."_ Angelica chuckled slightly before dressing up.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You are quite good at this, Helga." Arnold complimented his girlfriend's talent at making snowmen, the girl –not surprisingly- modeling her creation after her Football Head.

"I have some experience. Yours doesn't look bad either." Helga complimented back, looking at her snowy portrait Arnold made just a few feet away from her, the girl frowning slightly after a few moments and getting a fake angry tone. "But either I've gained weight lately, or you used too much snow on the hips."

"Uh… it's you after a heavy dinner?" Arnold shrugged, Helga shaking her head and chuckling slightly at his answer.

"I know I'm never getting used to those two being together." Sid rolled his eyes at the blondes' display as finishing with his own snowman as part of another of the gang's traditions; making snowmen at Gerald Field, the vacant lot in front of Arnold's house where they still played baseball occasionally. Due all the snow falling last night the teens, all of them in winter clothing, had lots of material for the sculptures; Arnold and Helga sculpted each other while the others made more traditional figures with some exceptions, like Phoebe making a panda, Nadine a beetle, and Curly working on a Rhonda sculpture.

"I hate to admit it, but this snowy me doesn't look bad." Rhonda commented as watching the sculpture, Curly giving it the last touches.

"I knew you would like it, my dear; after all, I'm familiar with every inch of your beautiful self!"

"Curly… watch those comments, okay? People might mistake them, and even if I'm no religious person I think it wouldn't be proper to assassinate you before celebrating Jesus' birth." Rhonda frowned at the geek, who got a sheepish grin before going back to work on the statue.

"You called Angelica to tell her to join us, Lila?" Nadine asked the redhead, who was finishing her own snowman. Thanks to Hillwood's express newscast, also known as Rhonda and her cell phone, everybody knew about Angelica's return home by next day Mister Pickles told her and Rhonda.

"Yes; she said she would arrive late because her family is a little busy ending the packing." Lila sighed sadly. "I still can't believe she's leaving."

"And I can't believe she didn't do it before. She had been here almost four months and I already feel them as four centuries." Helga frowned.

"Helga, why don't you cut that? We all know you no longer hate Angelica." Gerald said to the blonde.

"Yeah, right, Geraldo; please, Pickles and I are never going to be friends; classmates, of course; partners, maybe; but friends, I don't think so."

"Whatever you say, Helga," Arnold rolled his eyes, earning himself a playful punch at the shoulder.

"And you don't side with him, Arnold-o; I have a snowball with your name on it." Helga smirked at Arnold, the couple grinning at each other a moment later.

"Don't start something you can't finish, Helga." Arnold said as taking some snow from the ground.

"Think about what you're about to do, Bucko. Love and snowball fights are two separate things." Helga replied as doing the same.

The rest of the group got knowing looks and everyone grabbed some snow; they were used to massive snowballs fights, and it wasn't rare that Helga started (and finished) them, usually by throwing one at Arnold, something that, in the past, most mistook as another way of her to express dislike for the boy, and now was revealed as another of her many ideas to get his attention. Helga and Arnold smirked at each other, waiting for the other to throw the first ball.

**SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT!...**

Helga and Arnold got hit at the same time, and not by each other, as well as Gerald, Stinky, Harold and Nadine. The group then turned at the attacker, who was no other than Angelica, laughing loudly at them with an improvised catapult right next to her, made of a snow-loaded red wagon and a shovel she got from Chocolate Boy less than thirty minutes ago; after the girl phone called the boy and, once he dropped the stuff at her place, she started working on her little project, taking her just ten minutes to have it done.

"I originally made these catapults to shoot water balloons; good to see hadn't lost my touch!" Angelica kept laughing, ignoring the glares from the gang that slowly changed into mischievous smirks; even Lila was giving her that look.

"Helga, can you do the honors?" Arnold asked his girlfriend, who cleared her throat for a voice impression as she and everyone around the couple made a snowball each.

"Of course ya know, dis means war!"

Angelica barely had time to hide behind a parked car, but still received a few snowball hits on her back. The girl charged her catapult again, and used it to shoot at her classmates that covered behind the snow sculptures; Angelica, knowing she had an obvious disadvantage, used her best weapon, her big mouth; the girl grabbed some snow and, realizing Harold wasn't paying attention, the large boy leaning to get more snow and his head not covered by his snowman, attacked him old-fashion, the snowball hitting his cheek.

"HEY!" Harold groaned in surprise and irritation. Angelica saw her chance and looked at Sid and Stinky, who were right behind Harold.

"Hey, Sid, watch your aim! You're supposed to attack me, not Harold!"

"What?" Harold turned at Sid, frowning at him. "I'm on your side, fool!"

"No, Harold, wait…"

SPLAT!

Sid was cut by a snowball right on his face; Nadine noticed this and attacked Harold with a particularly large snowball, but missed and hit Patty instead, the large girl right next to her boyfriend. Patty didn't take it kindly and threw snow at Nadine; soon, almost everyone was ignoring Angelica, and they started fighting each other.

"I said it once, and will say it forever; I'm a genius." Angelica thought out loud while looking at the little mess she had started, ignoring the only persons who didn't forget about her.

"Face up, Pickles!"

Angelica turned and got an 'uh-oh' expression before getting her head buried by the massive amount of snow both Helga and Arnold were holding over the girl. The couple laughed and high-fived each other while Angelica shook her head and washed up the snow from her person, glaring at them.

"_Et tu_, Arnold?"

"Sorry, Angelica, but you started; besides, I have to support my girlfriend." Arnold shrugged as pointing at Helga, who smiled fondly at him.

"How sweet, Arnold… but we're still in a snowballs fight." Helga surprised the boy with a handful of snow at his face, the Pataki girl chuckling softly while Angelica's glare disappeared.

"And here I thought I finally had figured you out." Arnold said as washing off the snow from his face, Helga placing a hand on his shoulder a moment later.

"But then, you would get bored of me, and I don't want that to happen, Football Head."

"I doubt I'll ever get bored of you, Helga." Arnold and Helga smiled at each other until Helga felt something quite icy on her back.

"WHOOA!" Helga almost broke a vertical jumping record when Angelica slipped some snow under her jacket. The scream was so loud it even stopped the snow fight.

"And you say my voice is loud? That was heard in Ocean Shore." Angelica laughed. "Pataki, you should know by now that you can't turn your back on me."

"And you should by now I can crack that coconut head of yours!" Helga jumped at Angelica, tackling her; a moment later, both girls were rolling at the snowy pavement and Gerald Field's ground.

"Oh, my, those two can't stop fighting?" Rhonda slapped her forehead.

"Uh… Patty, I think you're the only one here who can separate them." Gerald whispered at the large girl; certainly, nobody was eager to do that. Patty rolled her eyes, sighed and rolled on her sleeves but Arnold stopped her.

"No, let them continue; I think they're enjoying it." Arnold said in his best calm tone. At first everyone thought he had lost his mind (actually, many thought that since he started dating Helga) but then realized that Helga and Angelica weren't really hurting each other; simply rolling and pushing, and using snow as weapon. A few moments later, everybody was cheering at the girls and supporting his/her personal favorite; the whole thing finished when Helga ended on top of Angelica, aiming at her with a snowball the size of a melon she was holding with both hands.

"Time to put you on ice, Pickles," Helga smirked at her rival, Angelica wide opening her eyes and gulping.

"Okay, okay, I had enough!" Angelica said in her best begging tone. "I'm crying uncle!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

Helga smiled broadly and stood up, laughing and rising her fists in victory while everyone clapped at her.

"I WON! I FINALLY WON…"

SPLAT!

Everybody froze at the scene; Angelica had pushed Helga against the closest snowman, which resulted to be Harold and Patty's and therefore the biggest one, and now Helga was totally covered by the frozen water.

"Pickles… YOU SAID YOU WERE GIVING UP!" Helga snapped at Angelica, who simply shrugged and got a so-called-innocent face.

"And I've already said I'm a liar."

"A liar, a cheater, a… a… a.. A-CHOO!" Helga's rant was cut by her loud sneeze.

"Bless you; handkerchief?" Angelica took a bright red cloth out from her pocket and handled it to Helga, the taller blonde scowling at her yet rolled her eyes and smiled a moment later, accepting the handkerchief, while the rest of the gang laughed at the scene, and soon both blond girls were laughing as well.

"Angelica…"

"Yes, Helga?"

"We're a pair of lunatics." Helga chuckled while cleaning her nose.

"Don't pluralize, Pataki."

"Okay… Angelica, you're a lunatic."

Angelica stopped laughing and got back her angry tone.

"Reindeer Face."

"Coal Brain."

"Elf Ears."

"Female Grinch."

"Ahem." The girls stopped arguing and turned, gulping when noticing Patty standing behind them holding large snowballs. "You know, Harold and I worked all morning on that snowman."

"It was her fault!" Angelica and Helga pointed at each other; they then realized everybody was grinning mischievously at them and holding snowballs, just like Patty.

"I smell a complot." Helga whispered at Angelica.

"And we're going to eat snow." The other blonde whispered back as Gerald directed the attack.

"Ready… aim… SNOW!"

**SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT!...**

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Let me help you with that, Pickles." Helga grabbed one of Angelica's suitcases and took it down the car.

"Why, thank you, Pataki."

"Hey, the faster you get on that plane, the faster you'll leave."

Angelica rolled her eyes yet said nothing, the girl carrying Fluffy in her pet travel box. Her family would return by airplane, along with their most personal possessions, while the rest of their stuff was already on its way to California via a moving company; since the house they rented already had furniture and basic stuff, it wasn't that much. A few minutes later, all the luggage was sent to the plane and the Pickles had little left to do but waiting for them being called onboard and say bye to the people that accompanied them to the airport.

While Charlotte and Drew talked with Rhonda and Helga's parents (since Olga was still around, Miriam was fully functional), with Olga next to them yet saying nothing, the older Pataki girl just being at the place to fulfill her daughter's duties, Angelica was saying bye to the huge group that was there just for her.

"I'm going to miss you, guys." Angelica said to the popular boys, Peapod, Iggy and Lorenzo getting a hug each, and then turned at Lila. "Thanks again for everything, Lila."

"I'm glad I could be useful, Angelica, and I learned a lot from your stay here… probably because I did all your homework." Lila shrugged and gave Angelica a little hug, Helga chuckling at the scene.

"Miss Perfect is learning witty banter? Criminey, the world is going crazier by the minute." The Pataki girl rolled her eyes.

"Hope to see you again soon, Angelica." Rhonda said as hugging her blond friend as well.

"Well, our parents are associates, so yes that will happen." Angelica replied, "Sure, the same applies to Pataki, but hey, even my plans aren't totally flawless."

Rhonda and Angelica chuckled a little bit before the blonde moved to receive and give hugs to Nadine, Eugene, Sheena, Sid, Stinky and Harold; she was about to do the same with Patty but stopped and arched an eyebrow at the larger girl.

"You aren't going to crush me, right?"

"Give me that hug or you'll return to California in two planes." Patty frowned at Angelica, everyone around laughing a little bit until the blonde shrugged and she and Patty embraced. Chocolate Boy, who was there as well, and, rarely enough, was relatively clean, handled Angelica a candies box when she and Patty broke contact.

"Here; hope you like them. I'm going to miss you; you're the first person that takes me seriously when talking about chocolate cookies."

"Well, some things are just too important to get ignored." Angelica shrugged as accepting the box and patting the little boy's head, CB blushing slightly. "Thanks, Cocoa Addict; I'm curious to see how many chocolates are left in the box."

"Most of them," Chocolate Boy admitted through a sheepish grin. Curly was the next, whispering at Angelica without breaking their hug.

"I'm still getting those pictures of Rhonda in her winter clothes?"

"I'll e-mail them to you in a couple of days." Angelica whispered back at Curly; even if no longer playing pranks on Helga, it never hurt to keep a loyal ally, just in case. When they separated, Arnold's grandparents approached the girl.

"Send my greetings to your grandpa, girl." Phil said to Angelica.

"I'll do, sir." The blonde nodded at him before turning at Gertie, she and the old woman respectfully bowing at each other. "Thanks for the lessons."

"My pleasure, Wasp," Gertie smiled at the girl. "And I hope you don't stop training."

"I'll matriculate on a good dojo after the winter break, promise." Angelica replied: she and Gertie bowed again before the girl turned at Phoebe and Gerald.

"So, there's any chance of you giving me some of that itching thing, Phoebe? I can think about a good prank or two with it."

"Sorry, that formula no longer exists." Phoebe shrugged.

"And thanks to that, the world is a safer place." Angelica rolled her eyes before shaking hands with Phoebe; then, they bowed at each other, as the blonde did with Gertie, and finished with a quick hug. "Take care, Vocabulary Gal."

"_Arigato_, Angelica, and _sayonara_, for now," Phoebe smiled at the blonde, who smiled back and addressed Gerald a moment later.

"She's a nice girl, Gerald; you'll better respect and treat her well, or Pataki will not be the only one after your head." Angelica smirked at the boy, who chuckled and shook his head.

"I already gave him the 'surrogate sister' speech, Pickles." Helga smirked. "He breaks her heart, and I'll break him apart."

"Great; now I'll have two blond girls in my nightmares." Gerald gave Angelica a little hug, "So long, Angie."

"Same here," Angelica then moved to Arnold, who gave her a tight hug she replied the same way.

"Tight it a little more and I'll make a scene that will justify airports' security." Helga gave Arnold a fake glare, the boy and Angelica chuckling and breaking the embrace.

"You must be iron-willed to stand this girl." Angelica shook her head while pointing at Helga.

"Well, I might be a sucker for pretty faces, but if that face, besides being pretty, comes with an attitude and a great personality covering a beautiful soul, there's no way I can resist it." Arnold gave Helga a fond look, the Pataki girl blushing deeply and everyone chuckling softly at the scene.

"And here I thought I was the poet." Helga gave Arnold a short kiss on the lips, the boy blushing as well.

"Thanks for keeping that kiss under the ten minutes' limit." Angelica rolled her eyes. She then turned at Helga, who was now standing in front of her.

"So… this is it." Helga smirked at the shorter blonde.

"Yep; I'm leaving and your life will be back to normal." Angelica shrugged, Helga shaking her head and smiling a little bit.

"No; normally, it wasn't as good as now."

The two girls stood on their place, grinning at each other, until Angelica broke the silence.

"You're not hugging me, right?"

"Ugh, of course I'm not! I'm not as corny as everyone else and you know that." Helga folded her arms.

"**Whatever you say, Helga,"** The Pataki girl jumped in surprise when all her classmates chorused, Angelica grinning slyly while Helga turned at them.

"Let me remind you fools that she's the one leaving, so don't get in my bad side." Helga frowned at the group before turning back at Angelica. "Anyway, what I want to say is that… maybe you're not as bad as I thought; no, skip that… you're worse!"

"Amen for that, Pataki." Angelica shook her head. "But even I can't go without giving you a present; since I'll not be around for Christmas and all…"

Angelica took a little gift box out of her pocket, handling it to Helga, who gave it a suspicious face.

"It will not explode or cover my face with some disgusting substance?"

"You have a face as if that had already happened, so what's the use?" Angelica half-joked, "Come on, open it."

Helga did as Angelica said, everyone but the adults (except Phil and Gertie, or course) getting an expectant look that changed to a puzzled one when realizing what the present was.

"A whistle?" Helga arched her eyebrow in confusion.

"It will come handy for your new extracurricular activity." Angelica explained. "I talked with the coach; since I'll need a replacement and I thought you could be interested…"

Helga wide opened her eyes in surprise while everyone smiled, except Harold, who gulped when realizing the meaning of this.

"I'm going to switch to basketball." Harold whispered at Patty, who simply rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's comment.

"Just remember, Wolfgang is still in charge of the equipment, oh, and don't get soft on them; those players need a strong hand and a loud voice." Angelica instructed her replacement, smirking, Helga getting a similar look immediately.

"Girl, next to my style, I'll make your coaching look like a bingo game." Helga chuckled.

"I'm counting on that. You have to be mean," Angelica got her coaching tone.

"Yes." Helga replied in a military way.

"You have to be tough."

"Yes."

"You have to be ruthless."

"Yes."

"You have to be merciless."

"Yes."

"You have to be a fool to say 'yes' to everything."

"Ye… you aren't tricking me again!" Helga growled at Angelica, who snapped her fingers while the others laughed.

"Rats! I almost got you with that one."

"Why don't you leave now while I still kind of tolerate you?" Helga frowned at Angelica, the shorter blonde smiling nervously; her parents called her at that moment.

"Angelica, dear, it's time to go."

"Okay, Mom." Angelica replied, sighing in relief, "Well, time to go; so long, Pataki."

"So long, Pickles." Helga replied in a friendly tone, the blondes touching fists before Angelica joined her parents. Arnold moved next to Helga and placed a hand on her shoulder as them and the rest of the group waved bye at the Pickles girl.

"Hey, Angelica, next time you call me, you'll better have a boyfriend!" Helga shouted at the departing girl. "Or I'll take next plane to California to scalp you with my bare hands!"

"It's a deal, Helga!" Angelica shouted back while leaving and waving bye, "Take care, Worst Friend!"

"Take care you too, Best Enemy!" Helga replied, smiling, as the girl who had given her so many problems, and yet she knew would miss her, walked out of sight.


	15. Epilogue

**- Epilogue.**

"God, I'm starving; it's my imagination, or all airlines make their lunches with school cafeteria's leftovers?" Angelica said to Chuckie as he helped with her luggage; more like, the boy was carrying everything while everyone else was helping moving the rest of the stuff inside the Pickles' house.

"It couldn't be that bad, Angelica."

"Finster, the plastic fork was more edible than the food." Angelica rolled her eyes, and then gave a look at her old house before opening Fluffy's box, the feline yawning and stretching when getting out. "This place looks quite clean for a house that had been empty for so long."

"You can thank that to Chuckie." Tommy replied as he and Phil left some boxes at the living room. "At first, we all took turns to clean the place once a week, but he eventually ended doing it by his own every time."

"Well… everything but the garden; Harold was in charge of that. I don't trust myself using a lawn mower." Chuckie blushed while rubbing the back of his head, his friends chuckling and Angelica shaking her head.

"Finster, you're hopeless; but I must admit, you did a good work." Angelica smiled at him as they started walking upstairs, the cat already ahead of them. "Come on, let's take my luggage to my room; I'll later accommodate the clothing myself."

"She doesn't lose any time to start bossing us again, uh?" Phil whispered at Tommy, both boys laughing softly at the comment while Chuckie followed Angelica carrying two suitcases.

"By the way, I cleaned your room too and made a few changes; hope you don't mind." Chuckie said to her, the girl not noticing the boy getting a rarely seen sly grin.

"As long as you didn't paste red planes or pink teddy bears wallpaper, I think can forgive almost anything." Angelica replied as opening her door, "Room, sweet room."

The girl gasped and froze on her place after walking two steps inside her room; then, she slowly approached her bed, a smile forming on her lips at the view of several flowers on her sheets and the classic heart-shaped chocolate box on the pillow.

"I was afraid to, well, you know… say it, so thought this would be the best way." The girl heard Chuckie's soft voice and turned to see him blushing and giving her a cute shy smile.

"I'll give you an A for the effort and the very early Christmas gift." Angelica smiled at him, "And if those chocolates have mocha or syrup filling, it will be an A plus."

The blonde walked in front of the geek, the teens staring at each other.

"I'll tell you what; if you are brave enough to say it, right here and now, my answer most surely will be 'Yes'." Angelica folded her arms.

"It's never easy with you, right?"

"It comes with the package; beauty, brains and guts aren't free, Finster."

Chuckie sighed and took a deep breath, summoning all confidence and courage he could have, while Angelica hoped it would be enough; then again, the boy had never disappointed her.

"Angelica, while you were gone… I missed you more than I told you through the e-mails or at the phone; a lot more. To me, you are more than a beautiful face or an old friend that likes teasing me; you're smart, strong, feisty, resourceful… you are also tricky, egotistical, loud and bossy, but that's part of your charm, and I missed that too. I realized something, and I must say it now while I feel brave enough… I love you, Angie, I had for a long time now… I know I'm not that much, but I'll do anything to be the best boyfriend ever if you accept me."

"Well, I deserve more," Angelica got her proud tone but changed it immediately for an incredibly warm one as giving him a fond look, "but my most favorite person in the world and the sweetest and kindest boy I've ever known is more than enough… and I wouldn't accept anyone but my beloved Chuckie Finster."

Angelica and Chuckie placed their hands at each other's hips and, after a few seconds of hesitation, kissed softly on the lips, deepening it when feeling more confident and enjoying the contact, the kiss soon turning into a minor making out session, while Fluffy, their only witness, yawned and made herself comfortable at one chair, her usual resting place at Angelica's room. When breaking the kiss, Chuckie got his happiest expression, and then pointed at the ceiling; Angelica, with a similar face, looked up and got a half-surprised, half-impressed look when finding mistletoe hanging from a short string.

"My emergency resort in case you said 'No'," Chuckie explained.

"So, no matter what, you could kiss me… you became tricky while I was away?" Angelica chuckled. "Not bad, but remember, the trickster, bossy, and vain one is yours truly; you keep being the shy, quiet, cute one."

"Good idea; being tricky is more your department anyway." The boy laughed, Angelica joining him.

"And don't forget it. Come on, Chuckie, we still have more luggage down there," Angelica said as they walked out of the room, linking arms.

"Why, you're helping us?" The boy smirked playfully at her.

"Don't press your luck, Finster." Angelica replied the same way. "Behave, and maybe we'll later eat those chocolates together."

"A beautiful girl and chocolates; I can't ask for more."

"Oh, believe me, there will be a lot more for the both of us." Angelica poked his nose playfully as they walked downstairs, both teens feeling happier than ever, and her cousin and Phil getting surprised looks when looking at them that soon changed to a happy one in Tommy's case and a half-upset one in Phil's.

"Guess you were right; I owe you ten dollars, Tommy."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"He put flowers on your bed?" Helga chuckled while talking at the phone.

"Yes; the flowers weren't natural, of course; at this time of the year, those are pretty expensive." Angelica, the other side of the line, replied while holding one of the flowers she received the previous day. "But the detail was quite nice, and even if I don't usually like corny stuff…"

"I know the feeling; guess we can allow ourselves being a little silly with the right guy." Helga shrugged. "Arnold can be a great softie as well."

"Look who's talking; I'm surprised ants hadn't eaten your poems with all that sugar on them."

"Well, I'm surprised vultures and hyenas don't follow you everywhere, considering how much they love rotten meat."

"I'm not that rotten… in my good days."

"You have good days?"

"Yeah, whenever you aren't around to ruin them."

"You know, someday we'll both get tired of these exchanges." Helga said thoughtfully, she and Angelica getting silent for a few seconds before chorusing.

"NAH!" Both blondes laughed and kept doing it until Angelica talked again. "Have to go; my geeky prince is about to arrive."

Helga looked through the window, smiling when looking at Arnold approaching her house, a present box under his arm.

"And my daily corniness dose is coming as we talk. Have a nice Christmas, Naughty Claws."

"You too, Paturkey; hope you enjoy the holidays before getting caught by a reindeer stampede."

"What?"

"Hey, that's my Christmas wish; a girl can dream."

Helga rolled her eyes and hung off the phone before walking out of the room, just stopping for a moment to check her formal Christmas present for Arnold, a medium-sized gift box, and a little pre-Christmas surprise for him, namely, mistletoe hanging from the door's frame.

_"If I didn't know it's impossible, I would swear that Chuckie boy and I planned this together."_ Helga thought while shaking her head. A few moments later she opened the door and received Arnold with a tight embrace, the couple kissing immediately.

"So, you saw me coming?" Arnold smiled at her when breaking contact, the boy realizing he didn't need to ring the doorbell. Besides enjoying the greeting, this also helped the couple to avoid getting the attention of the other Patakis; Bob was at the living room checking some contracts, and Olga and Miriam were at the kitchen preparing lunch.

"Yes, I did," Helga smiled back as grabbing the present box with the classic 'Not open before Xmas' tag on it. "Thanks, Football Head; let's go to my room so I can give you my present."

"So, what were you doing before I arrived?" Arnold asked the girl as they walked upstairs, holding hands. Helga shrugged and gave him a mischievous look.

"Oh, just having a little phone conversation; guess I'll not scalp anyone this year."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**- Twelve years later.**

Twenty-five years old Helga and Phoebe arrived at a café, sitting at a table near the door; Helga wearing a dark pink jacket and a knee-length red skirt, her hair falling gracefully over her shoulders, and Phoebe wearing a stylish yet modest blue outfit, jacket and skirt combination as well. They both had turned into quite gorgeous young women, and two things were especially noticeable; the rings on each one's left hand (Helga had an emerald and Phoebe a diamond), and the black-haired woman's slightly larger than normal abdomen.

"They are delayed; no surprise here considering those two." Helga said as rolling her eyes.

"Well, Helga, if we consider one arrived to town just this morning and who married the other one…"

"Yeah, guess you're right. Wonder if Dorkelica still remembers how to move around here."

"Hey, I visited less than three months ago, and even if hadn't, I don't need to know the city; I can always sense your diabolical presence, Helgag."

Helga got a little frown but changed immediately to a genuine smile, just like Phoebe's; Angelica, in a black and purple business outfit, was now behind them. The blonde, not surprisingly, had become extremely attractive but, just like Helga, could keep men at bay with ease, especially since getting her own ring.

"Thought you wouldn't arrive, Pickles… I mean, Finster." Helga chuckled as Angelica gave both her and Phoebe a short hug before sitting down.

"Sometimes I don't mind spending some time with you girls, even you, Pataki… I mean… God, all these years and I still forget Arnold's surname."

"Ah, don't worry; I'll always be a Pataki, no matter how much I try the contrary." Helga shrugged.

"So, how are Chuck and the kids?" Phoebe asked her other blonde friend.

"Pretty well, thanks for asking; Cynthia already walked her first steps and Charlie keeps trying to mimic me and my husband when we're training."

"Can't believe you actually could teach karate to your geek," Helga rolled her eyes.

"Well, he wanted to learn, I mean, he knows I can protect myself, but wants to be sure he'll be ready to help and support me on any aspect or situation; so far, he had excelled in all areas." Angelica got a half-dreamy, half-mischievous face; after all these years, she had achieved the impossible… loving Chuckie (or Chuck, as most people addressed him now) even more as when she was a teen. Phoebe and Helga chuckled slightly at her look even if knowing the same thing could apply to them and their respective husbands.

"Guess it is right what people say, Pheebs; it's always the quiet one." Helga joked.

"I was about to say the same about Phoebe." Angelica replied, turning at the glasses-wearing woman, "How many months, Johansen?"

"Five; the doctors say it will be a girl. We are naming her Amy." Phoebe grinned happily.

"Three kids in less than four years… girl, do you and Gerald ever sleep?" Angelica chuckled, Phoebe shaking her head while Helga grinned.

"Look who's talking; you two never lose any chance to gloat about your high-quality love lives and how much you enjoy both the sentimental and the physical interaction." Phoebe replied with a confident smirk.

"You got us there, Pheebs; I'm just glad that little incident we all remember had no major consequences on the 'interactions' or we wouldn't have the result." Helga chuckled.

"On the other hand, I could have saved you several close encounters with dirty diapers," Angelica pointed.

"Yes, I almost threw a party when she learned to go to the bathroom." Helga shook her head, keeping a little warm smile, "But at the end even the diapers and the insomnia nights are a minor price to pay; I never thought I would be even happier with Arnold until we had Stella."

"And I never thought you would survive that pregnancy." Angelica rolled her eyes. "Good thing your daughter didn't inherit her dad and grandmother's head, or you would need a steel pelvis."

"Watch that mouth, Dogelica, or you'll need to explain your kids why their mother returned home with raccoon-like eyes." Helga shoved a fist in front of Angelica.

"I would like to see you trying, Smellga," Angelica gave Helga a challenging face. "I just got my fifth-grade black belt."

"Girl, the only thing a belt is good for is to hold your pants. Anyway, guess that means maybe now you'll be able to give me a decent spar."

"Just a decent spar, you said? Come on, Helga, you know as well as I do that we had never been able to beat each other; whenever we fight, either with insults, karate, wrestling or snowballs, we end in a tie."

"True, but that doesn't mean we'll stop trying; unless you suddenly became a chicken." Helga gave Angelica a mocking grin.

"Well, chickens like me eat worms like you, remember?" Angelica grinned evilly at her.

"You had never defeated this worm, girl, and only reason I hadn't defeated you is because SOMEONE always cheats."

"I don't always cheat; only when I'm losing."

"In other words, you cheat all the time."

"If I remember right, I didn't need any cheat to almost send you to the emergency room last time."

"And I don't need cheating at all to make you cry for mercy."

"The only Mercy I will cry for is a very good nurse I know, and just because you'll need her after I'm done with you."

"I wonder how you'll call anyone after I rip off your tongue."

"Oh, come on, you're not going to fight here, right?" Phoebe rolled her eyes yet kept her smile. "I wonder if you two will ever have a civil, non-insulting, threatening or yelling conversation."

"And ruin this beautiful friendship?" Helga replied in a half-joking way.

"So, now we are friends?" Angelica got a sly grin. "Are you drinking arsenic or cyanide, pal?"

"Whatever you invite me, buddy, as long as you drink it first." Helga replied the same way.

"I can't believe it; you two finally called each other a friend and I didn't tape it." Phoebe laughed. "Rhonda will throw a tantrum when knowing what she missed."

"Talking about her, where is she?" Angelica asked, and, in a perfect cue, a gorgeous brunette in a stylish black outfit entered the café, waving hello to the group but stopped when her cell phone rang. The three ladies at the table glanced at each other and shrugged.

"I'm surprised he lets her go to the bathroom alone." Helga rolled her eyes

"Excuse me, ladies; this will take a moment." Rhonda rolled her eyes and answered. "Yes, Curly, I arrived just fine; no, I'm okay; yes, I know, but I just left home ten minutes ago… of course I love you too, Wacko. Oh, Curly, you know I can't stay angry with you…"

"We'll better order now; I have the feeling Mrs. Dementia here will need more than a moment." Angelica commented, Helga and Phoebe chuckling until the cell phones of the three of them started ringing as well.

"Let's face it, girls; they can't live without us." Helga shook her head.

"And we wouldn't like it any other way." Angelica added.

And, as it happened at times, Helga had to admit she agreed with her best enemy's statement.

**THE END.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

And that was it! (I think it's now a proper time for the second disclaimer.) Go ahead, Phoebe.

(Okay, as all you readers could notice, besides the characters from _Hey, Arnold _and _Rugrats/All Grown Up_, we had several references and mentions of characters from other series, the same applying to some ones from movies, books and popular domain, as well as musical segments from famous songs; Ramiro claims no owning of any of them.)

Thanks, Phoebe. Also, in the last scenes, there were some minor references to the actresses dubbing both Phoebe and Angelica here in Mexico. (In deed; I'm honored to know my dubbing actress, Rosy Aguirre, also gave Amy/Sailor Mercury her voice in the _Sailor Moon_ anime series, referred here as the name of my future daughter. –_**blushes**_- Mrs. Aguirre also voiced Buttercup, from _Powerpuff Girls_, Akane Tendo in _Ranma ½_ series, young Todd in _The Fox and The Hound,_ Cherry in _Saber Marionette_, and many other characters.) That's right, and calling Angelica's daughter Cynthia had another reason besides this being her doll's name. (And that reason is Patricia Acevedo, who also voices Sasha Vortex, mother of Cynthia 'Cindy' Vortex in _Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius_. Other relevant characters dubbed by Mrs. Acevedo are Sailor Moon, leading female from the namesake anime; Lizzie, from _Kids Next Door_; Lisa from _The Simpson, _Margaret and Mrs. Mitchell in _Dennis The Menace _original cartoon, Chi-Chi in the three _Dragon Ball _series, and Sarah Connor in the _Terminator _movies, to name just a few.)

Guess that's all. Thanks to everyone reviewing this story. (We're certainly grateful and appreciate the fact you had read this work of fiction. We just hope you all had enjoyed it.) I also want to thank Hellerick Ferlibay again, both for suggesting the main plot and making several good comments, suggestions and critics for this story. Thanks to you too, Phoebe. (You're welcome, Ramiro, and _arigato_ to you as well for choosing me as your assistant.) It was my pleasure; now, please, say the good-bye phrase.

(Saying it; so long, everybody, and keep the good writing.)


End file.
